Cover Up
by Speklez
Summary: Betrayal and revenge are powerful motivators, and when two people who have been betrayed by the same coven come together under dire circumstances, revenge becomes all the more sweet. NM-A/U, N/C, OOC, all normal disclaimers apply
1. Chapter 1

**So, originally, I wasn't going to post an incomplete story, but with being 8 chapters ahead, I feel confident I can get this story done before I run out of pre-written chapters. So, this i how it's going to go. I am going to update weekly until this story is complete. Once it's done, I'll post all remaining chapters in one go.**

 **For now... Enjoy.**

 **~Speklez**

 **Prologue**

 **Peter's POV**

That little Victorian era mother fucker. I knew there was a reason I hated the asshole. Time after time he pulls some sort of crap and leaves his mess just lying around to be cleaned up by someone else. I was really getting tired of his shit.

Normally, it wasn't all that big of a deal and didn't take much to fix whatever it was he went and fucked up. This time, however, that is not the case. He left a human with knowledge she shouldn't have, alive to run about and run her mouth. Carlisle might be convinced she'll keep her yap shut, but I have my doubts.

She is only human, after all.

That aside, something about this just seemed off to me. Edward was throwing around terms like 'mate' and 'love' and 'my one and only', yet... he left. Just, up and ran away like a pussy when things got a little hard to handle. Granted, the Major wasn't one to take lightly when he goes on the attack, but from what I heard, there was zero reason that should have even happened. The vampire I know wouldn't have lost it over a single drop of blood, no matter how good it smelled.

No, there was something I wasn't told and I don't like being left in the dark when someone else puts my fucking neck on the line. I'll find out what was left out of the tale and when I do, I would fix it as promised, but then the Cullens and I were going to have a little chat about lying to someone that cannot be lied to.


	2. Chapter 2

**You are literally only getting this chapter tonight because the first chapter is barely over 200 words without the A/N. That, and I finished pre-writing another chapter. If those two things didn't happen, I wouldn't be updating until next Saturday.**

 **As it is now, enjoy and I'll see ya next week!**

 **~Speklez**

 **Peter POV**

"He did WHAT?"

Oh, I was fucking livid, and the more Jasper continued to talk, the more pissed off I got. What kind of vampire in their right mind would tell a human what it was, then leave said snack alive to tell the tale? Then, to top off and add to the fucked up situation, have a different one call up someone that it considered a friend, something so rare in our world, and drop that bomb on them like it was most natural thing in the world to do and put their life at risk?

Why I continue to talk to this asshole was beyond me. He literally only calls when he wants something and even then, it's always stated more as an order than a request. Guess he never got the fucking memo that I don't work for him anymore.

I was all but foaming at the mouth when he said the one thing he really shouldn't have. He said he was sorry and I blew the fuck up.

"Oh, fuck your apology, Jasper. You can take your sorry, turn that sumbitch sideways and shove it up your ass. You ain't sorry. If ya were, you would stop putting me in this fucked up situation. Time after time, you'll fuck up, call me up, and just e'pect me to sweep in and save the day. Well, I'm fuckin' tired of it. I'll go kill the human and fix this mess, but after that, I'm done. Done. Do ya get me, Boy? DONE!"

For the first time in my very long life, I do believe I had rendered Jasper speechless. Fucker always has something to say, yet nothing came through the line. I knew he was still there though, because he always had to have the last word. I wasn't exactly sure what the look on his face was like but I was pretty sure he looked like a cat just barked at him. His voice was even when he came back on the line, but I was so past pissed off, I just ended the call before hitting the bottle pretty hard for not having a working liver, contemplating the implication of not doing anything at all and letting him learn to deal with his own consequences for once in his life.

Fucking Edward. I never liked the guy, and the more I'm forced to have to do with him, the more I want to throw him on a pry my damn self. It would only be a mercy killing and nothing short of a necessity for the vampire race as a whole. This would be the fifth fucking time he's done this, rope in a pet and let it go on its merry way when he was done playing with it. It, however, was the first time he ever used the term 'mate' with one though, so I was more than a little curious as to how he was able to just walk away from her. A mate can't do that. It's impossible for them to be away from them for any length of time and from what Jasper said, they were out of the area for weeks and Eddikins was doing just fine.

Something wasn't adding up here.

Regardless of the fact Edward is a bold-faced liar with no sense of moral compass, that seems more than just a little out of character, even for him.

The more I drank, the more my curiosity started to get the better of me. Sure, I promised I would fix this last thing for Jasper, but I'm nothing if not an asshole that's not above lying myself. However, in this case, I suppose one more time for ol' time's sake wouldn't be the end of the world. The end of this ends with one less human in the world, so what's it matter really if I satisfy myself before Jasper for a change?

I would get to the bottom of it as I always do, and when I do, I would be sure the proper party was held accountable.

 ***X***

Perched comfortably in a tree, I leaned back against the trunk, a knee bent with my foot on the branch while the other dangled down. A lit cigarette in my fingers was my only current source of entertainment as I twirled and twisted it in the air, drawing pictures with the smoke. I growled low in my throat and looked to the distance before glancing at my watch. Seriously, what the fuck time does this school shit start?

I was a good distance from the empty parking lot, but I could see it with no problems. I learned once a long time ago when dealing with a human that knows about vampires, they tend to know when we're around, even when no one else does. I didn't want to be discovered yet, but I had to at least figure out who it was I was after. Otherwise, this was going to be harder and take longer than I was in any mood for.

All I had to do was see the human and things would roll pretty quick, but, apparently, school starts at lunch time, or it's closed today. It wasn't that late, actually, but it sure as hell felt like it. I just wanted this to be done so I could go home. There was no telling what Charlotte was doing to my house now that I wasn't there to stop her and I would love to get back before she turned it from the bitchin bachelor pad it is into something from Martha Stewart's wet dreams. The Little Betty meant well, but damn it, I was a guy and I liked my surroundings to reflect the dick between my legs. Her whole spiel about how I'll never get a good, honest woman with a house like mine was done played out and I wasn't even about to put up with lace and flowers.

Nope, not gonna happen.

It was about another half hour before the cars started pulling in, so I changed my position to make sure I didn't miss a single one of them. It was one of those things I knew I would know who I was looking for as soon as I saw them, but as the parking lot continued to fill up, the more I was getting the impression someone was playing hookie today.

Mother fucker.

I crouched in place long after the cattle was wrangled into the corral before I growled again, knowing she wasn't among them. Well, I do enjoy playing hide and seek, so at least this won't be an overly boring morning like it's been thus far. However, it was pretty easy to figure out where she was since wasn't here. Dropping to the ground, I took off into the woods. A quick swing by the ol' Cullen Castle for a change of clothes, and the game could begin.

Come on out, little human. I ain't gonna hurtcha.

 **BPOV**

The sound of my alarm continued to belt out in my room, but I couldn't bring myself to stop the noise, even though it was giving me a headache. It was about the only thing I had at the moment that told me I was alive. I didn't feel like it, but the pounding in my skull told me that it was another day. Why must they keep coming? Doesn't the sun know I don't feel it's warmth? That it doesn't bring anything new with it anymore? That life doesn't depend on it to go on?

Over the noise I heard my dad leave, once again without saying a word to me about not getting up for school. Two weeks now and I've barely gotten out of bed to pee. I stopped caring about pissing the bed, that's the kind of rut I've fallen in without him. Doesn't he know I literally can't live without him? Doesn't he care?

I knew it was stupid, but I had convinced myself to never leave my room because he would be sure to pick that time to come to the window that hasn't been closed since his left, waiting for him to come through, and think I moved on when I haven't. It's what always happens and I wasn't about to let it happen to me. When he comes back, I'll make sure he knows I never lost hope or faith in him and nothing changed since he's been gone.

As the blaring of my alarm continued, I let out a deep breath before rolling over, picking it up, and throwing the clock as hard as I could across the room, watching it shatter against the wall before curling back into a ball and pulling the covers over my head. I would give myself a little longer in bed before I started doing my modified morning routine.

It wasn't that long before my phone started beeping, a noise that I haven't heard in so long. It was the sound of the app Edward downloaded and set up on my phone so I knew when he was home. Shooting up in bed, I twisted around so fast every bit of my spine cracked as I fumbled with the device on my bedside table.

Pushing the button on my phone, the screen lit up and I squealed when I saw the security footage of the front entry of the Cullen House and the front door hanging wide open.

He was back! I knew he would come back.

Jumping out of bed, I got dressed as fast and as nice as I could before thundering down the steps and out the door, barely remembering to grab my bag on my way out. Sure, I should be heading to school, but this was far more important. I was getting my life, my love, back and nothing, nothing was going to stop me from convincing him to reconsider everything he said before. We could work this out. I knew we could and now that he was back, I would see to it that he knew we could, too.

 **PPOV**

While there are times I wish I didn't have it, I find myself more often than not very thankful for my ability. I was almost to the house when warning bells started sounding, stopping me in my tracks. Someone, more likely someones, were already there and I didn't want anything to do with them. Letting them tear the place up and leave first is always the way to go with these assholes.

I took to the trees and slowly made my way around the property to the front, counting cars when I got there to get an idea of how many of them showed up. One big, shiny, black SUV meant there was at best four, but they were the four no one wanted to face by themselves. Even if you can get around the big, brick shit house that was the Enforcer, you still had to outrun the range of the witch twins and avoid eye contact with the Tracker. No one I have ever heard of has ever accomplished all of that and lived to tell about it.

It was a bide your time situation and hope God doesn't truly hate our kind.

Staying in the branches, I started to back down the drive, giving them space to do whatever it was they were doing there and wait them out. It wouldn't take long I was sure. A quick check to ensure all bases were covered before leaving and they would go back to their carved out corner of hell. As long as there was no evidence of Edward's human left behind, all should be fine. Then I remember this was Edward we were talking about, and knew pretty much right then this wasn't going to end well.

I wasn't, however, prepared for just how bad it was about to get or that I would soon be coming face to face with both true death and absolution.

The sound of squealing tires, a heartbeat, and the feeling of flames... I don't know what happened, probably never will, but those were the last things I registered before I was cut off from feeling anything.


	3. Chapter 3

**PPOV**

It's not easy to imprison a vampire. There isn't a lot stronger than we are. However, there are ways and no one knows them better than the fuckers in Italy. The moment the fog lifted, I knew exactly where I was, how I got there, and I wasn't happy.

The restraints that bound me to the wall would be easy to shatter, but they weren't the problem. No, the problem was the way I was restrained. With the way they were drilled through my wrists, if I tried to free myself, I would end up with unhealable injuries. Still under the effects of Alec's gift, my head was swimming in a cloud of fog as I dropped my head back against the wall. It took all my focus to keep my eyes open enough to look at my hands, cringing at the cracking of skin as I opened and closed my fingers.

I don't know why others assume you freak out when Alec sets his sights on you. It's like you cease to exist when he takes your basic and god given functions and, when you come back to yourself, you feel drugged and it takes forever to get out from under the effects.

With a groan as the room continued to tilt and spin, I closed my eyes against it, hoping the fog around my brain would disperse and I could start to try and figure out how I was going to get myself out of the mess I got myself into this time. Being arrested by humans was one of my favorite past times, but this? This was the vampire world's equivalent and it took far more to get out of trouble with these assholes than it ever did with the human justice system.

Unable to hold my head up any longer, I let it fall back down, taking deep breaths to try and center myself. It took way too fucking long, but eventually, the spinning stopped and I was able to open my eyes without that horrible nauseous feeling rising back up. It wasn't unheard of for vampires to vomit, but it was rare and I needed the blood from my last meal if I was going to be able to fight my way out of this.

I blinked a couple of times to clear the last of the effects of Alec's gift before I fully opened my eyes, letting them roam the nearly pitch black room. On the opposite wall was the, I assume, out cold human that showed up at the house in the woods. She was sprawled out on the floor, her hands bound behind her back and a gash on her head with bloody hair matted to her face and neck.

It took hardly any effort at all to ignore her and take in the last of my surroundings. The room was about eight feet by ten feet, and around twelve feet high with a protruding group of rock about eight feet up, with dried blood splattered all over the place. My best guess was this was used to house newborns for the first couple of days until they are a little more pliable and able to be worked with. On top of that, it was filthy and the stench of rotten death hung heavy in the air. I let out a hard puff of air and quit breathing, setting my head back against the wall. When I found out who took my hat, I was gonna fuck 'em up.

Shaking my head, I began to glare the floor, using this quiet time to try and figure out what exactly was going to happen, but for the first time in a long time, I had no idea what was lying around the next corner of time. I knew it was going to be a rough go, nothing that involved the guard was ever easy, but I wasn't sure why I was still alive, or why the human was for that matter. It wasn't like either one of us were in any kind of defendable position. She was in deep shit because she knew what the Cullens were and if I was ever in front of Aro before now, he knew I knew about her. Even if the knowledge was recent, I had no part of her finding out, and I was there to change her living status, that still made me a liability as well.

Nothing about this made sense and I was actually hoping the human woke up before either one of us were summoned. It would be nice to have at least a little more information before I go off half-cocked.

I had sat in silence for five minutes or so before I heard the low moan of discomfort and pain from the human, and had glared at her for another three before there was a whispered 'ow' and the chains rattled, telling me she was starting to come too more and more. I paused in my musings when there was a louder, petrified voice in the room, asking the foreseen questions; where am I? What's going on? Is anyone there? Humans and their predictability would never stop being amusing.

As her heart began to kick up its effort to beat out of her chest, I clicked my tongue, making her shriek and me growl harder than I meant to. Rubbing my ear against my shoulder, I glared at the human that was trying to vanish into the corner she worked herself into. "Don't do that."

She was shaking in terror so hard the chains around her wrists rattled and I sighed and closed my eyes when she apologized. It wasn't the words, it was the tone. Upset females never went over well with me, even less when I was the reason they were upset. Making every attempt to not be an asshole, I spoke in as nice a voice as I could muster. "Don't move. I'm not the one you need to currently worry about." It wasn't so much me being nice. It was more the noise of the chains. I never liked it and I figured it had to do with my human life I couldn't remember.

Completely unimportant, I redirected my focus on the girl. Since she was now seated and I could make out her features, I took a moment to get a look at her and I had to admit, I couldn't see the allure. She was a human. No different than the next teenager. Other than her scent, she was on the low end of the 'I would die for...' scale. Swallowing a groan, I closed my eyes again while she twisted her wrists and body and fully came back to the land of the living.

It was a couple of minutes before she cleared her throat and spoke. "Who are you?"

I didn't even try to stop the snide answer that popped into my head. "The guy who about ta die in place of your piece a shit ex, that's who." Once that was out, more and more anger over the situation reared up and, whether I meant to or not, I gave the poor thing a whatfore and a half after I reopened my eyes. "You one a those ridiculously, astronomical clingy bitches, ain'tcha? I mean, a dude breaks up with ya weeks ago, ya know he leaves town, yet, for whatever reason, ya decide ta go ta his known ta be vacant house when ya ass should be at school. What, in the name of fuck, would possess ya ta do that?"

I saw the look on her face turn crestfallen. I snorted. Still, she answered, though you could hear the embarrassment in her voice. "I thought he was back."

I actually reared back from the stupidity of her answer, hearing the stone wall crack when the back of my head collided with it. It takes quite a bit to render my ass speechless, but this human has done the one thing not even Jasper could do... leave me with no response.

I stared at her for long moments, not sure I heard her right, but as she started to fold more and more into herself, I knew I did. I am one of the most articulate vampires alive, even with the heavy southern twang I never lost, but there was no making anything coming out of my mouth connect. "You... y... you thought..." Blinking at her, I made a noise in my throat as my mouth slightly hung open. "What could have possibly made ya think that?"

Her body language clearly said she didn't want to answer, but a growl from me told her she didn't have a choice since whatever made her think Fuckward was back was the reason we were here. Had she not shown up like the hounds of hell were chasing her truck, none of this would have happened.

It took her some time, but she finally whispered, very quietly, surveillance cameras. I couldn't stop it, and I didn't try. I scoffed out 'Stalker', to which she exclaimed, "No! It wasn't like that. Edward set it up on my phone when we were together so I knew when he was back from hunting. It was just of the front door. When the alert went off and I looked, I saw the door open. There were locked, metal shutters over the doors and windows so no one broke in while they were gone. When I saw the door open, I thought it was them."

I froze, stone stupid, in place as I absorbed that little tidbit of information. Finally, I just laughed. Honestly, this shit couldn't be made up. Shaking my head, I grinned at the wall, a chuckle still in my voice. "Awesome. That's... fuckin' amazin'. WiFi Cameras. I swear to God, if I survive this, I'ma kill every single one of 'em."

There was a harsh intake of air, drawing my attention from the homicidal thoughts running through my head to the human that was now about to puke. "If?"

Oh... right. She don't know. I actually started to feel a little more sorry for the human. She has no idea what's on the other side of the door. Leaning on the wall behind me, I nodded. "Yeah, Sugar; if. Here in these parts, there ain't no guarantees anyone gonna walk out the way they walked in. And, since we didn't walk in, I ain't got the highest hope a this endin' on the side of dealable. We got rules, Sug, and for the record I had no willing part in doing so, we both broke 'em."

I watched as she shifted slightly, her face pinching as she did so. She didn't look like I thought she would after that. She looked more confused than scared of the certain death sentence. "I don't... I... how? How did I break the rules? I didn't tell anyone."

I shrugged as best I could, cringing with a growl when that fucking bolt through my wrist pulled at my stone skin. "Don't much matter. You ain't supposed ta know 'bout us at all. Yet, ya do. That gonna be a problem for ya."

I smelled the salt on the air before I heard the tears in her voice. "But... that's not fair. How can humans be held to vampire rules? I don't answer to Aro. And to that point, if it's such a big deal, why are the ones that told me not here, too? Shouldn't they be held accountable for breaking them? I didn't do it all by myself."

Shifting slightly, I grunted and closed my eyes as I leaned my head back against the wall. "That's a very good question, Darlin', and one you should ask iffin ya get the chance."

If she didn't, I sure as fuck would. I'm an opportunistic asshole that don't got a single problem taking others down with me. Just call me the right hand of Karma because, I swear on my unholy life, I would make sure that entire coven was eradicated before I go down. You done fucked up, Jazz, in a way that will see you burn for every last sin you ever committed...

... Even if I have to drop the match my damn self.

The silence in the room stretched on for who knows exactly how long before it was shattered by the sounds of rattling chains. I growled low but, unlike last time, it didn't deter the human from making the noise. When I began hearing grunts and hard breathing, curiosity got the better of me and I opened my eyes to the visual of the girl wiggling around on the ground like a worm. My lip curled and my voice was deadpanned. "What are ya doin', Human?"

She didn't stop her movements, just spoke through the grunts. "Bella. My name is Bella, not human. And, if I can just... Got it!"

I blinked at her as she kicked her legs up in the air before folding into a tiny ball. My jaw actually dropped when she used her hands... in front of her... to get to her hands and knees. I watched as she looked around the room we were in before she then started talking again, but she just guessed where I was since she was talking to an empty corner.

"I'm not going down like this, like a scared little baby waiting for them. We're getting out of here."


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I made the decision to update as I finish a chapter. The more writing I get done, the more often I will update. If I'm not writing, then the update schedule goes back to being on Saturdays.**

 **I am currently working on chapter 11, and as soon as it's done, I will update again.**

 **~Speklez**

 **Bella's POV**

Well, I guess I got the answer to the question that has popped in my head more than a few times since I started dating Edward. All vampires really do see humans as inferior beings. Actually, I don't even think they think that highly of us. I have been insulted numerous times by all the Cullens, but this was worse. I mean, they didn't even try to make sure I stayed put. I mean, I know I won't stand a chance outside this room and I was pretty much as good as dead, but hell, at least give me some kind of credit.

Once I had use of my hands again, I began to slowly crawl around on the floor, looking for the other person in here with me. I might not be much by myself, but if I had a little supernatural help, I might just survive this. It's weird, really; I spent so much time wanting to die since Edward left, but when put in the perfect position for that to happen, I finally figured out I don't actually want to die.

Shoving that thought out of my mind, I continued to slide across the floor, freezing in place when my hand landed in something sticky. I made a noise in the back of my throat, whimpering and lifting my head to where I thought there was a vampire. "Do I want to know what I just put my hand in?"

There was a pause followed by a snort to my right followed by a 'prolly not'. Turning my head to the voice, I made a face. "Well, how about a little help here, Chief? I can't see anything."

"And what ya want me ta do, Sugar? Dance a fuckin' jig?"

I glared. "No, just make some kind of noise so I can find you." There was a growled huff, but it was followed by a tapping that was pretty easy to follow. Moving towards it, I let out a breath when I finally touched a foot. Making sure I kept a finger on on the body I found, I moved inch by inch until I hit the waist, finding out he was in a sitting position. With my hands still bound together, I shifted and put my arms out, feeling for the wall.

Once I found it, I leaned a shoulder against it, dropping my arms back down to the guy's waist and started moving my hands up his side. I was maybe to the middle of his ribs when he jerked away from me and growled at me again. Yanking my hands back, I looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. You're not hurt, right?"

I felt his cool breath on my face when he spoke, letting me know just how much I was in his personal space. "Fuck no, I ain't hurt. Shit tickles."

I blinked at him. "Your kind are ticklish?"

"Don't know 'bout others, but I am. And I'll fuckin' bite ya ass iffin ya do that shit again." I nodded and he continued. "Hands on the wall and move straight up."

I followed his instructions and came in contact with his arm. I followed it to his elbow then followed his forearm up until I jammed my finger on something cold and hard. I grunted at the pain, but tried to ignore it and figure out what it was that I was touching. When I touched the other side of it and felt the stone skin again, I turned and looked at the side of the head. "That's not a cuff. How are you held in place? "

I could feel him shift his position next to me, again feeling his breath on my skin. "A bolt straight through the wrist."

I cringed at the answer. That had to suck. I bit my lip and looked at where my arms where, but still couldn't see very well, even though my eyes were finally starting to adjust to the darkness. Letting my mind work through the problem, I refrained from asking anything. I had to assume if he could free himself he would have by now, so there had to be a reason he hadn't. Just knowing that was enough. There was no need for the details about why he couldn't. Even without being able to see very well, I could tell his hand was above his head, so it had to be the angle of his arm.

See? Humans aren't so stupid after all, are we?

Still...

"If we get this arm free, can you free the other one?"

I also didn't need to see to know he was giving me a dirty look. "Yeah, but how you plannin' on doin' that, Sugar?"

Standing up, I scratched my head. I hadn't figured that part out yet, but I mean, how hard could it really be? Biting my lip again, I clicked my tongue. "Well, um..." I trailed off and decided to just give the only option I had a try. I wrapped my hands around the spike and, setting my foot against the wall for more leverage, I just started to pull on the bolt with every bit of strength I had.

You don't know fear until you are inches from a snarling vampire's mouth knowing you're pissing them off. But, when I felt the bolt slip, I did my best to ignore him and kept pulling, using my leg strength to my advantage. I paused just long enough to re-position my hands before I started pulling again, this time with the vampire's blessing... well, that's being nice. It was much closer to being a command not to stop.

I could hear his skin protesting, but I just gritted my teeth and pulled harder.

 **Peter's POV**

Holy Mother of FUCK!

I never thought I would be thankful for the effects of the bitch twin's power. If these fuckers hurt this bad coming out, I don't wanna know how bad they woulda hurt going in. Honestly, I don't care what kind of sight I made, or how much I probably resembled a drooling lion, this shit fucking hurt.

I waited until I felt the little wiggle of the loosened bolt before I took over and ripped my arm the rest of the way free. It knocked the human off her feet but, with the bolt still through my wrist, I reached across my chest and ripped the other one out of my other arm before I shifted my position again and dove, catching her head in a cradled grip in my palm before it smacked off the stone floor.

I smirked at her stunned face and chuckled low in my throat. "Guess all ya'll humans ain't so worthless after all."

She glared up at me, her voice flat. "You're welcome, Jerk."

I just shrugged and grabbed the chain that bound her hands together, crushing the metal in my hand. "Been called worse than that, Darlin'."

She snorted and moved to sit up, one of her hands going to the cut on her head and the other keeping her balance. "What now?"

I reached out and moved her hand from the cut on her head. Since I was closer, I could get a better look and see if any kind of infection started to grow, but from the smell of things, if there wasn't yet, there would be soon. Because of the little fucker, my internal clock wasn't exactly reliable, so I'm not sure how long we've been here, when she got the gash, or what caused it.

While I was doing that, I decided to fuck with her a bit. "You ain't figured that out yet? First rule a plannin', Sugar, is always think three moves ahead. Ya don't want to be caught with yer pants down in these parts, Darlin'; trust me."

She nodded and winced when I touched too close to the open wound, a whimper in her throat. "Ow, that hurts."

I wasn't surprised. Infection was beginning to set in and if it wasn't seen too pretty quick, there was going to be health problems to contend with. It wasn't a great solution, but being better than nothing for the time being, I licked my thumb and ran it over the cut, sealing it with venom so anything that was starting to grow wouldn't get any worse. I then stood up and looked at my own wrists, frowning at the hole in my arms. There was no way it wasn't going to scar over. Venom coated those spikes and burnt the skin. The holes would close eventually, until then though, you could see through my forearms. To make it worse, even a human would see them once they healed. Fantastic. Like I wasn't scarred up enough. Oh well... what's two more at this point?

Glancing at the door, I started to let my military trained mind start to run away with itself, planning the break out and every single contingency plan I could think of. Factoring in the fact I was also going to be carrying a human along for the ride, I knew I was about to have my work cut out for me. But, I couldn't just leave her behind. The still present good ol' southern boy left in me wouldn't allow that. Plus, she did free my ass when she didn't have to. Yeah, she can't get out of the Italian palace on her own, but she certainly showed guts freeing a vampire she didn't know.

Once I got everything worked out, I looked back down at the girl. "Well, Bella, whatcha say we blow this joint?"

She looked up at me, her bottom lip between her teeth. "How far do you really think we're going to make it before they catch us again?"

Not far, at all, but she didn't need that confirmed. Instead of forcing her to her feet, mostly because it's way easier to carry someone that wants to be carried versus someone that's being forced, I crouched down and looking in her eyes. "I ain't gonna say this gonna be easy, Sugar, but I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya, ya hear? We gonna get out, then we gonna talk 'bout how it was we ended up here. You and me? We got some business and I ain't in the business of leavin' shit unfinished."

Her face turned up in confusion. "But, I don't know you. How can we have any business to settle?"

I could feel my eyes lose their color at the question. "It ain't so much between us, Sugar, than it is between us and some other sumbitches. You and me didn't end up here on accident or happenstance. We was sold out and I got some kinda problem with that. You should, too. Now, you wanna keep sittin' here askin' questions or you wanna get out the dark and go whoop some ass?"

She stared at me for another moment before she let out a breath and nodded. I returned it and twisted around and presented my back. "Hop on and hold on tight. This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

I stayed crouched down and waited for her to be situated before I stood back up. I then grabbed her wrists and wrapped them tighter around my neck and tapped her thigh, telling her to do the same with them. "I ain't got no need to breathe, Sugar. You ain't gonna hurt me none, but iffin ya fall, that'll hurt sumthin' awful. I need my arms, so I can't hold ya."

She did what I said and tightened her grip, looking at the side of my face. "What should I call you, by the way?"

I walked the few steps to the door, setting my hand against it, dropping my head and closing my eyes as the voices began whispering in my mind. I heard her, but what they had to say was more important than my name. When I felt the intake of air she needed to speak again, I lifted my hand with a 'sush'. I needed to hear what was being said and I didn't want to miss anything in case it was important. Since they are only this detailed when my tail was on the line, I couldn't take the chance.

I stood there for a long moment, sorting out what they said and I would have spent a little longer had I not felt a sharp stab of pain in my wrist. My head snapped to the side with my teeth bared only to come eye to point of the steak I had left in my arm and a sheepish looking human.

Snorting with a roll of my eyes, I took the spike from her hand and, after cracking my neck, I took a half step back and planted my foot dead center of the door, sending it flying into the wall across the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm gonna be honest here, people. I am in a rough place at the moment. I got some pretty devastating news about my grandmother yesterday, and until I know she's going to be all right, I am not going to be in a good place.**

 **If I suddenly vanish and don't update for awhile, don't feel slighted. My family means everything to me and if I vanish, it's for a personal reason.**

 **As for today, I'm taking a break and just writing, trying to get my head in the game and out of the murky darkness that has taken over, but it's not easy, and it is what it is.**

 **For now, I'm here, and you get an update.**

 **~Speklez**

 **Bella's POV**

How is it I always end up in screwed up situations like this? I didn't think I was a bad enough person for Karma to keep coming after me like it has, but maybe there were things from a past life I was still paying for? I didn't know, but I was really starting to become little miffed over the life and death situations I've had to deal with since I met the Cullens. I used to have a normal life, full of normal human things. I wasn't normally one to cuss, but seriously...

What the fuck?

I didn't have the best track record with red eyed vampires and, bleeding and completely at his mercy, I was wrapped nice and tight around one I had never even seen before today. Also, one that refuses to even tell me his name.

All that aside, when he kicked the door open, I wasn't sure what I expected, but I guess I thought there would be a guard or something on the other side. But, when vampman poked his head out, I chanced a look and didn't see anything. However, I would wager a guess they heard the crash of the door and it would only be a matter of time before we ran into our first roadblock.

I tucked my head down and closed my eyes. I was never very good at being a backpack and, with already being somewhat dizzy, I felt it best to not take any chances. He might be willing to help me now, but I wasn't sure if that would change if I puked on him. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

I could feel my hair pulling at the roots from the speed he was moving, and whether or not I could see what he was doing, my stomach dropped every time he jumped and I would slide to one side or the other with every turn, no matter how tightly I clutched to him. When he came to screeching halt, I smacked into his back with a 'ooph', but otherwise, no worse for ware.

His voice was quiet, but it held a level of authority I haven't heard before. "Alright, Little Sugar. You gonna havta do everythin' I say if we gonna get outta here, ya hear?" I nodded into his neck and he continued. "Also, you gonna get hurt, but it gonna be better than dead. I can fix what happens, but death permanent." I cringed at his words this time, but nodded just the same. I can handle a little pain. If I can handle being thrown around a mirror filled building and the pain of being bitten, I can handle whatever he's talking about.

Or so I thought...

I was prepared for a lot, I but I was not so much prepared to flip ass over feet over the guy's head and bounce across the floor a couple of times before I slid to a stop. I know I felt more than one crack or pop, but really, all I could hear was white noise from getting my bell rung more once. I blinked to clear my vision, pushing myself up to my forearms and lifting my head, coming face to face with a pretty horrible scene.

I saw my cell buddy on his hands and knees, his teeth bared and clenched, and his eyes... oh his eyes... they were the deepest pits of solid onyx I have ever seen... and he was looking right at me. The weird thing was, his eyes weren't promising death, at least not mine; they were telling me to get up. So, I put everything I had into getting to my feet, without ever removing my eyes from his. In my peripheral, I could see two vampires behind him, but they didn't look at all familiar.

I watched, mesmerized, as the guy seemed to fight against invisible restraints and twisted around, throwing the spike he took from me with every ounce of strength he could muster. It flew through the air too fast for me to follow it, but I know where it ended up. There was a blood curdling scream that bounced off the walls around us as the girl of the two reached up and grabbed her face, holding where her eye was that now boasted the half inch diameter spike.

As she continued to scream, the other one that was with her appeared to forget about us as my vampire wrestled to his feet. I wasn't even fully on mine before I was swept up into stone arms. I could feel him shaking, but it didn't slow him. If anything, it made him move faster. It also upped his acrobatics.

Every so often he would jump in the air and flip or he would leapt at the wall and shove himself back off it. None of that slowed his pace, and also prompted me to close my eyes and wrap my arms around his neck, turning my face into his shredded shirt so I didn't have to bare witness to the death defying acts of vampire kind.

 **Peter's POV**

That mother fuckin' midget. There was little known to vampires more painful than that runt's power. It was nearly impossible to break her hold without her being the one to let off, but then again, I doubt anyone ever stabbed her in the eye before. I would rather have had the pleasure of jamming it in by hand, but my aim is impeccable. I have no idea why her own brother did nothing to stop her from being impaled in the eye, but maybe he thought I would miss.

Yeah, and I'm a fucking Prince.

However, with the biggest threat dealt with, it would be all but insulting how easy it was going to be getting out of the palace now. This was the 'rulers', and I use that term loosely, biggest problem. They rely far too much on talent and not enough on fighting ability. Sure, some could scrap with a bar fight crowd, but you need more than that if you really want to ensure your prisoners don't escape. However, when dealing with someone trained in death, there isn't a whole lot you can do.

It did take me a couple of minutes to shake off the pain of flames, but I didn't let the after effects affect me to the point I waited. I swept the human up and bolted. I wasn't stupid. I was about to have the rest of the elite guard on my ass and I wanted to be on the other side of the wall by the time they gave chase. If we had any chance whatsoever of surviving, we needed a healthy head start.

With a few well placed leaps and a couple of high kicks, I was on ground level and, taking the path of least resistance, I jumped through a window. Even though I was on the city side, I figured since I was already marked for death, I couldn't really get into MORE trouble than I was, so I didn't put a single thought into covertness. I ran my sun sparkling ass as fast as I could along the top, human tucked into my chest, and headed for the far side of the palace wall that backed straight up onto the Tuscan hills.

Stopping before that final leap to freedom, I paused and set the human on her feet, but had her pulled right up against my side. I stood tall, my eyes locking on the balcony above the garden doors where all three brothers stood staring back at me. I was sure the two of us made a sight, filthy and torn clothing, the human's dirt matted and bloody hair flying out behind her in the breeze.

I stood there staring at the self proclaimed King of Vampires, nothing but contempt, anger, and loathing flooding my being. I would be seeing him again as well. However, for the moment, I channeled all of my negative emotions into the last of our escape. But, before I once again picked up the human, I smirked at Aro, my signature shit eating grin in place, and held up one arm, giving the fucker the ol' Whitlock Salute before I tightened my grip on Bella's waist and turned a back flip off the wall, hitting the ground running.

 **Aro POV**

I growled low in my throat as I watched the Southern Captain and the human vanish of the wall. Caius, in all his irritating glory, decided now was the time to point out the obvious.

"That is going to come back and bite us in the ass, Brother."

I just snorted at the unneeded statement. "No shit." When my elite guards came running out of the palace, I called down to Demetri. "Can you track them?"

He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "The Captain has no scent to follow and we'll lose the human at first rain. The mind has to be working for me to obtain the tenor and they were both unconscious when I last saw them. He's fast, but he is also carrying a human. We may be able to catch up, but if he hits water before we do, I'm am not fully confident we will be able to find them again. Captain Whitlock is famous for his ability to vanish off the face of the Earth, but with an injured human in his company, it will not be possible to vanish completely. So, maybe, Master; though it may take some time."

I rubbed my temple and sighed. Peter Whitlock was famous in general. There was only one chance to destroy him without a negative backlash and it was lost not two minutes ago. The only way to be rid of that vampire was to do it before anyone knew he was missing. It was an unfortunate truth that that vampire had more connections than vampires I personally knew. This was going to get out. It was just a matter of time. And when it was found out that he was set to be destroyed for no real reason, it was going to be even worse. No one was going to turn him over to us without viable proof of a crime and that was the one thing I did not have. Hell, I didn't even have concrete proof of the human's wrongdoing.

Growling again, I told my guard to do what they could to find them, but if my tracker wasn't confident of doing that, I didn't have the highest hopes of them returning with one or both.

It was then Marcus spoke, asking a question I hadn't considered. "Are you going to inform Carlisle about this, Aro? Perhaps warn him?"

I looked at Marcus for a moment before I shook my head and turned to go inside. "No. It was for him we kidnapped two persons with nothing but his word of wrongdoing. If we are to go down, he is certain to be going with us." There was a pregnant pause before I spoke again, stopping and looking over my shoulder. "Bury them both. Find everything and destroy it all. Peter Whitlock and Isabella Swan do not exist."

 ***X***

Marcus and Caius looked at each other before Caius crossed his arms. "How the fuck are we supposed to erase this guy? He knows more people than we do, and fuck knows how many aliases. The human will be easy, but how do you erase the Captain's legacy?"

Marcus didn't say a word for a long moment, simply looked at the now empty hall where Aro had been a moment ago. When he did speak, it was the with the same wisdom he always spoke with. "He has killed us all."


	6. Chapter 6

**Peter's POV**

I had to give it to the human. If nothing else, she was able to take things in stride and follow orders to a 'T'. Still don't feel the slightest bit bad about what I said in the dungeon, but what I do feel is a little more accepting of the fact I was pretty much now responsible for her. There was no way I was sending her ass packing back to the States by herself. Not that that would be an easy feat without having documentation for her and the only way to get that was with the two things I didn't currently have on me; a phone and money. I would in a couple of hours, but what would really be the point of not leaving her with the Volturi if I was just going to put her right back where she was taken from in the first place?

No, I would be keeping her with me for the time being. I mean, if it weren't for her, I would still be attached to a wall, if not burning into a pile of ash.

It had taken lots of evasive maneuvers and plenty of backtracking, but I was eventually convinced I had confused our trail enough to go ahead and start heading north west. It would rain before the tracker figured out which was the real trail and by then we would be too far for him to find by scent alone. It was knowing he had many other ways of finding us that told me I had to keep moving nearly at any cost. Alone I could run forever, literally to never be seen again. With an injured human, however, that wasn't possible.

I carried the human in my arms until I hit the border between Italy and France. Once I was across, I began hunting up a mode of transportation. It was gonna start getting cold as I reached the mountains, and Bella was already getting warmer as the infection from the cut on her head started to get worse, and because of the prolonged exposure to the elements. She had already went swimming twice only to again be held against an ice cold body. She was starting to get sick and, though it would be faster if I just ran the three hours to the Alps from where we were, it would more than likely mean an illness I wouldn't be able to fix without serious intervention. Since I had told her I could fix what happened to her, I would really like to be able to keep that promise without her heart stopping in order for that to happen. I personally didn't care if that was the route that needed to be taken, but I was pretty sure she did.

She wasn't a fan of how I went about getting said transportation, however, her protests were quick to stop when she was sprawled out in the back seat of the car I stole with the heater cranked up as high as it would go. Though there was no way around the fact I was going to have to run the last distance to my cabin in the mountains, cause there was no way this car was going to make it, at least she was able to thaw a bit before then. She was so drained and feeling like such shit, she didn't even protest when I tossed a dead guy's jacket over her and told her to get some sleep, just settled in and closed her eyes.

While normally I would push a car to its limit and just get where I was going, I took it a bit slower this time. I had a few things to figure out, this was a stolen car, and neither me nor Bella had any form of ID on us. Last thing I needed right now was to get busted for carjacking. Pretty sure the human would try to kill me, not to mention what Char was gonna do to me when I finally got ahold of her.

Nope, I ain't stupid. One pissed off female at a time is more than enough, thank you very fuckin' much. Speaking of the girl, my mind wandered to her as I drove.

The great thing about Charlotte is she's always been there and always able to bail my ass out of anything I get jammed up in. While pulling her into this isn't something I am particularly looking forward to, it's necessary. On the plus side, our relationship has changed a lot since we left the army. We've been everything from husband and wife to brother and sister to perfect strangers, depending on the situation, and it's always worked out in the end. I wasn't sure how this was going to play out yet, and chances are, I wouldn't until I allowed myself to finalize a course of action. However, with the mutant midget around, I couldn't chance thinking on it yet. I needed to ensure Bella's safety before I started planning revenge.

Fuck... Bella. Now what the hell was I gonna do with this slip of a human? The cabin we were going to wasn't exactly a hospitable place for an already ill human, either inside or out, and she has needs I wouldn't have readily available. All of my houses, even the ones I hardly ever go to, have an emergency reserve of cash, a phone, and an ID, but that wasn't really the problem. I knew I could take care of a human. They were kinda like a dog. Feed 'em, water 'em, cover the their important parts.. easy. The problem was once she was inside, it would certainly be easier to leave her there and make a run into town alone, but I had this sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of leaving her by herself at the moment.

This was gonna turn into a clusterfuck and I was gonna get pissed off. But, I guess, in the end, since I couldn't exactly send Bella packing with nothing but whatever illness is starting to take over her being, I would do what was necessary to keep her alive until I could figure out a way to break it to her she was never going home. I knew she was holding onto that pipedream. Even if the Cullens never return to Forks for the rest of time, Aro and his band of bitches were still going to be on the hunt for this girl. It was best for all involved, and those who don't know they're involved, if she simply vanished.

It wasn't exactly a thought I relished in. I hated it, actually. Humans were supposed to have a life. They were supposed to live. I might eat them, but that didn't take away the fact that they weren't supposed to live in hiding from something they shouldn't even know exists. It was gonna suck. I just hoped she understood that, for the safety of her friends and family, she's gotta be dead to them.

It was with that last thought I pulled over. We were close enough now to ditch the car and finish the journey on foot. The coupe wasn't going to make up the mountain anyways so, putting the car in park, I got out and went to the trunk to retrieve the owner. Flinging him over my shoulder, I also grabbed the Atlas that was in there before closing the lid and heading back to the driver's seat. Putting the corpse in the seat and arranging it, I then reached between the seats and shook Bella awake, telling her it was time to get out of the car. She wasn't a fan of the idea, but did as I said. While she was getting out, I took the Atlas and tore a few pages from it, rolling them up and sticking them into the gas tank. There was only about a quarter tank, but it should still go boom.

Once Bella was a safe distance, I lit the paper sticking out of the gas tank with the car lighter, closed the door, and through the window, put the car in drive. After I backed out of the car and it started rolling, I walked back to the truck, put my foot on the bumper, and gave it a shove to really get it moving. With the way the car was angled on the shoulder, when it went forward, it went off the shallow embankment and into the trees. The extra paper from the atlas pages would burn away and the part in the tank would ignite the gas and the car would explode, ridding it of any evidence of myself and Bella while giving the man's family closure with a body.

Kind of a body.

Something to bury, whatever.

I watched after the car for a moment, making sure it went a decent distance into the woods before I turned away and walked over to Bella, who was looking all the world like a fucking zombie. She looked deader than the man in the car. I crossed my arms and clicked my tongue. "You think ya can hang on or am I gonna havta carry ya? It's still a bit of a run to the cabin."

She didn't say anything for a moment, her attention still over my shoulder where the car disappeared. When she did speak, her voice was so soft it was nearly carried away on the breeze. "I wanna go home."

Damn it. I sighed hard and nodded. "I know, Little Sugar. We'll figure somethin' out, but sorry ta say, Darlin', it prolly ain't gonna happen any time soon. For now, how 'bout we get out of the cold and then we can see what we can come up with for the time bein'."

For another moment she looked past me, but finally turned her eyes on me with a resigned look to them as she nodded. "Alright. I think I can hang on if I have some help."

That I could do. Telling her to put the jacket on, I turned and crouched, presenting my back, and waited until I felt her arms encircle my neck. With no need of my hands this time, I looped my arms around her legs and hoisted her the rest of the way on. Once she confirmed she was ready, I glanced back at her, a grin on my face.

"By the way, Little Sugar; my name's Peter."

 ***X***

A half hour and 78 miles later, I slowed to a stop outside the cabin I owned in the French Alps. It was pretty small in comparison to my other properties, but since I hadn't bought it but a couple of years ago, it had yet to go through a renovation. It was fitted with a couple of generators, but other than that, it was a basic human cabin in the woods. It was still only one floor, but it was an open floor plan with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen.

Feeling Bella shiver against my back, I made my way to the door, set her on her feet, and jumped up on the roof, retrieving the hide-a-key from the gutter. Dropping back to the ground, I unlocked the door and opened it, holding up a hand to tell her to wait a moment. Something wasn't right and I wasn't about to let her go in first when I could smell another vampire on the air. It wasn't recent, but it was still there.

Once I was sure the living room was clear, I pulled Bella inside and put her back to the wall right next to the door. After telling her not to move, I quickly went through the rest of the house, but found no lasting evidence of the vampire, other than in the bathroom, and it was a fucking disaster. I growled out low, 'Goddamn nomads'. Now, while I was technically considered one because I wasn't part of a coven, I wasn't a wanderer and had plenty of places to call home. Wanders tended to seek out crash pads that had running water to get cleaned up every once and awhile. However, before I made my money and did things like that, I did clean up after myself... or Charlotte cleaned up after us. Either way, there wasn't a mess left behind to be dealt with by someone else.

With a shake of my head and quick inventory of what else I would need to pick up from town, I turned and left the bathroom, calling out to Bella it was safe to move about the cabin. When she told me all she wanted was to lay down, I crooked a finger at her, and pointed out the bedroom she would be using while we were here. After telling her to holler if she needed anything, I went to the other bedroom and straight to the bed.

Throwing the comforter to the side, I pulled up on the sheets to expose the zipper to the pillow top cover. Unzipping it, I grinned when the safe hidden in the mattress was revealed and didn't see any signs of tampering. Punching in the code, I opened the safe door and about cheered when I saw everything I left in there was still there. It's content included ten thousand in cash, a check book, a wallet with an ID and credit card, and a mother fucking cell phone.

Grabbing the phone, since it was all I needed for the moment, I went to the closet and opened the door, reaching in and pulling out a well worn back Stetson. Putting it on, I left the room, stopping by Bella's to let her know I would be outside getting the generators going and it would start to warm up in about fifteen minutes. I got nothing but a grunt from her, but I took that as she heard me, so I headed outside and to the back of the cabin.

Once I was by them, I flipped open the phone and dialed Charlotte. She was either going to be nine kinds of pissed off I didn't listen to her when she told me not to go on that errand for Jasper, or just really happy I'm not dead. With her, it really could go either way.

It took three rings before I heard her voice on the other end. " _Hello?"_

Bracing myself, I responded. "Hey there, Dolly. It's me."

There was a pause, but she only sounded confused when she came back. " _Peter? But, Jasper said you were dead."_ Before I had a chance to say anything else, she came back... and not happy. " _You alive? Where the fuck have ya been, you asshole? Do you even know what the last couple days been like?"_

Awe... now there's my little Dolly. Still, I didn't exactly have the desire to rehash the past few days, so instead, I dodged the question. "You got so little faith in me that ya really thought I was gone? Come on now, Dolly. You know me better than that."

There was a huff, but nothing more.

Deciding to just move on, I bent down and started to manually prime the generator. "Listen, Dolly, I need ya to do somethin' and not ask why. Right now, the less ya know 'bout shit, the better, till I get thing's settled on my end." I know she rolled her eyes at me, but agreed. "'ight, go ta my office and, in the bottom left drawer a my desk, get the bound file folder. I need ya ta look up somethin' for me."

In the background, I heard her open my office door, the wheels of my desk chair and another grunt from her. "Damn thin' locked." I didn't even have to tell her to break it, she just went on ahead and did so. It was when I heard the intake of air that I knew she found what I sent her after. " _Pete, these our aliases."_

I nodded. "I know it. Look through 'em and find Philip Wetmore. I need what he got in the account and the name of the storage place so I can get the truck."

I listened as she shuffled through the pages and the 'ah ha' when she found the right name, followed by a gasp and shriek. " _You in FRANCE? Peter Anthony!"_

I growled at her and the use of my middle name. "One, we divorced and you ain't my mama, so don't be pullin' that shit with me, Woman. Two, it was the closest place to where we were, and the human sick so she needed out the cold. Third, we'll be on our fuckin' way iffin ya tell me where the fuck my truck at." Jesus H. You would think I married my mama once upon a time.

There was a 'humf' on the other end of the line. " _Ain't no need for the tone, Peter. I just asked a question."_

I snorted. "Delivery, Char. You still gotta work on that shit. Now, where my truck at?"

"' _Ight, the truck is in Grenoble at a place called Boxmax, container 34-9763. The address is_ _35 Rue des Alliés_ _. And, it look like you got just under fifty three thousand in the bank. Now, what are ya doin' in France and what's with the human?"_

"Later. Right now, you don't need to be knowin' any a that. Meet me at our place in Spain in a week. Give the girl time to get over the worst a her illness."

" _I can do that, but Peter, just how you expectin' to smuggle that girl over the border without the proper travel papers? A week ain't enough time to have them made, sent, and recieved before you go."_

"You right. Looks like I'ma havta call in a couple favors while I'm here."

" _Sug, even if ya do, you ain't got the money for that kind a rush job. At least not without it takin' everythin' ya got. If you movin' 'round with a human, she gonna need ta eat, need clothes. That truck been sittin' for a time, so it gonna need some tlc to make that drive. What are ya plannin' on doin', exactly? Robbin' a bank?"_

I chuckled. "While that a viable option Dolly, I was thinkin' more alon' the lines a a death in the family." There was an 'oh' making me chuckle again. "Use whateva account ya want that ain't got Whitlock on it, and transfer a hundred grand into the Wetmore account. When they ask where that money came from, cause you know them nosey bastards will, say it came from Gram'ma. Give 'em this number as the contact when the money clears. Once ya do that, globe trot for a while to throw off any dogs on ya ass, and then head for Spain in a way they can't track ya. 'Member Sug, I'm supposedly dead. Let's keep that dream alive for as long as we can."


	7. Chapter 7

**Peter's POV**

The week following the first of many calls with Charlotte were pretty routine as far as getting set up in a new location. However, since it wasn't the plan to stay here, there were no massive shopping trips or anything that was normally first things first. On day one, I left Bella to sleep and went to Grenoble to pull my truck out of storage and put it in the shop for all the basic needs of a car that has sat for over two years. I would have just done it myself, but when it didn't start right up after putting gas in it, I had it towed and paid someone else. I would double check the work, but that day, I just needed it to run. I could fix what got fucked up, but not until I was in Spain. I also picked up some shit for the human to eat, a couple changes of clothing, and the necessary supplies to tend to the cut on her head. Again, it was all about surviving for a week. Her needs would be met, again, in Spain. That first day, though, was the only day that didn't end with me thinking about reevaluating the human's ability to breathe.

The second day was spent calling around until I found the forger I was looking for. He was one of the few contacts I obtained and didn't share with Jasper, and I wanted to ensure that nothing I did got back to him. The Wetmore alias was one of three I had he didn't know about, and as long as it stayed that way, I could stay under the pissy pixy's radar. A quick picture of Bella and an email later, and her documents would be ready for pick up in three days. It would be cutting it close for our departure time frame, but if I wanted these to be verifiable, it was necessary.

Day three was pretty much just hanging out at the cabin as Bella finally started to move out of being sick and into being more alive and active. I took that time to start the ball rolling in figuring out why the Cullens went to such lengths to have her killed off. It was one thing to call me and have me snap her neck, but it was something else entirely to involve the Italian Assholes. However, that was still out of her realm of comprehension. As far as she was currently concerned, it was all coincidence and my opinion on the matter was just that... nothing more than an unfounded opinion. I would let her have her dream world for a little longer but, eventually, I was going to have to obliterate her little bubble. We were both currently being hunted because of their desire to have her dead, and sooner or later, she was going to have to accept that, or we were both going to die. Other than that, I was called to pick up my truck.

Day four found me and my infuriating little human in a battle of wills as the conversation from the day before was once again brought up when I told her I would need her to answer the phone when the bank called and pretend to be Mrs. Courtney Wetmore. All she had to do was confirm the account number, the name on the account, and the reason for the transfer. She, for whatever fucking reason, took exception to this. Now, I have met some stubborn ass people before, but never like her. She was convinced the money was stolen and that I had no right to ask her to defraud a bank. It took me five fucking hours to finally get it through to her it was actually my money from a different account so I had access to it. In order for me to do that, I had to put her tiny human ass on the phone with my ex-wife and have her explain where the fucking money came from. By the time Bella got off the phone, she was rightfully subdued and had agreed to answer the questions from the bank. I might have taken a little more pleasure in the way Charlotte handled the human than I should have, but damn it, she pissed me off.

It was now day five and the day we were supposed to head out and begin the long ass drive to my property in Spain. Up until about an hour ago I was under the impression she understood the life she used to have was over and she would need a new name and identity. Apparently, I was wrong. This fight started with the simple question of 'Do you wanna go with me to pick up your new identity or do ya wanna wait here?" This started a HUGE argument. And by that, I mean we were still yelling at each other over the fact I had her name changed without consulting her first. Fucking humans and their attachment to superficial things like a name.

Currently, she's telling me all the reasons she should have been able to keep her name, and I was currently telling her every reason she was a fucking idiot. The majority of this argument stemmed from the fact she still refused to grasp and accept that her ex-boyfriend wanted her dead and he and his daddy called in the big dogs to make sure it happened. For the fact I also told her that I was called by a different member of the coven to do it, so I knew first hand how the Cullens felt about her and her living status, she was steadfast in the argument they would never do that to her, that they loved her, and only left to keep her safe. Her main point was that if they really wanted her dead, they would have just let Jasper eat her instead of stopping him.

Now, I have no rebuttal for that one. She made a valid point. I have no idea why they decided weeks after they up and left she needed to die, but that was what they did. Telling her I had no answer for that only cemented more in her mind I was either lying or hiding something, even knowing for point certain I had no reason to do either.

She also wanted to know if I was asked to kill her, why I was going so far out of my way to keep her alive. That was easy, though I loathed to admit it. She saved my life, whether she knows it or not, and I owe her for that. It was a debt I had to repay and, if she was so convinced that the Cullens didn't want her dead and did still love her like she thought, I would personally pay for, and deliver her, right to their doorstep. But, if that was going to happen, she needed a valid identification. Which brought us back to the start of the whole argument, and through it all again. I ended up leaving her at the cabin with a few choice parting words that had left her to think about just what that would mean for her.

Days six and seven were spent driving and, with a human that grates your last nerve in such close proximity, I will admit to using some less than nice means to get her to shut the fuck up. The pressure point in her neck was by far my favorite, and gave me the most time in silence. While there might be later issues with slight damage due to lack of oxygen getting to her brain, I didn't give it too much extended thought. She was still alive, which was more than I felt she deserved.

Crossing the border into Spain was as easy as pie. She was sleeping by natural means, so I just flashed the requested IDs and was waved through the border crossing. It was seven hours from that point to my house and, when Bella woke up, there was yet another round of yelling.

I was never so happy to pull off the road and onto a driveway in my very long life. The estate was certainly big enough to lose the human and not see her for days if I chose. However, she was a resourceful bitch if I ever saw one. She refused to let the sleeping dog lie, and kept bickering about everything under the sun. You would think she would be happy to have survived the drive, but nope; not her. She was pretty fucking determined to push me to the point I no longer cared and just snapped her neck where she stood. She might think she didn't care whether or not she died, but when faced with the prospect death, everyone changes their tune.

If she knew what was good for her, she wouldn't be the exception.

Slamming on the breaks, ignoring the rather loud protest, I jammed the truck into park and snapped my head to face the very soon to be dead human. "I taken just about all I can take, Human."

Opening my door, I growled low as I got out and began to walk away, and yet, she still didn't stop. "Bella. My name is Bella."

Whipping back around, I yelled as loud as I could. "Ya name fuckin' amuse-bouche, cause you ain't even a god damn appetizer!"

"PETER ANTHONY!"

Glaring over my shoulder at my ex-wife who was glaring right back at me from the porch, I snapped at her. "What?"

She just pointed back the way I came and left me no room to argue with her. "She might not be able ta whoop ya ass for talkin' ta her like that, but I can. Go eat, ya cranky asshole."

With a snap of my teeth, and one more glare at the human, I took off into the woods before heading into town. I needed to let off some steam and I wasn't going to do that with just a meal.

 **Bella POV**

I blinked when Peter disappeared, but it wasn't because I didn't know he could. More because it's been so long since I've seen a vampire do that. Just a shock back into my old reality, I guess.

My attention was drawn back to the female vampire still on the porch, eyes dark and face darker. I could hear her growling, but after a second, she just huffed and crossed her arms. "That man, I swear. He gets just a little hungry, just a bit stressed out, and he gets a bug up his ass the size a a damn horny toad." She then shook her head and looked at me. "Well, come on now. Get in the house 'fore he comes back and round whatever ya on starts. I swear, y'all two bicker like a old married couple. I should know. I was married ta that ass for decades."

Now, I'm already pretty fucking pale as far as humans go, but I know I paled more at finding out I was talking to the asshole's ex-wife, who still seems to be on very good terms with him. Which, I couldn't understand. If he treated her anything like he treated me, I would have ripped his head off a long time ago. However, I wasn't not going to listen. Everyone seemed to be wound tight, and not doing as I was told would more than likely only make things worse. So, I followed behind her as she went inside.

Kicking my shoes off at the door, I continued to follow her through the place, taking note as she pointed out a bathroom, Peter's office, a library, one of the living rooms, and the dining room before we entered the kitchen that was at the back of the house.

When she reached the counter, she turned back and looked at me. "I picked up a few things ta get ya through the night, but I gotta be honest, it's been a long while since I shopped at a grocery store, so I ain't makin' any promises it gonna be any good."

Looking around the kitchen, I saw a loaf of bread and some fruit, but since I wasn't really all that hungry, I didn't care to look further than that. Instead I just smiled slightly. "Thanks. I'm sure it's fine. I'm not all that picky."

She snorted quietly, but otherwise ignored the statement as she herself went to one of the cupboards. She spoke to me over her shoulder as she started pulling out bottles. "The way you been fightin' with Peter, I woulda thought ya had more balls than that, Sugar. If ya see somethin' ya don't like, yer gonna haveta tell me. I ain't no mind reader now. Don't wanna be one neither, so open yer damn mouth, yeah?"

I blinked at her back. "Okay, sure. But, for clarification, what are you talking about?"

She turned to look at me over her shoulder, a brow in the air. "I got eyes, Sugar, and I can tell ya ain't impressed. You ain't gotta play the part a nice little Bell. If you don't like somethin' I got, that's all ya gotta say. Ya ain't gonna offend me none. Now," she turned back to the counter, "whatcha wanna drink?"

I shook my head. "I'm not old enough."

There was another snort, but she didn't turn back as she started pouring something clear into two glasses. "That ain't what I asked. Trust me, you gonna wanna have a drink 'fore Peter comes back."

When she finally turned towards me, she had two glasses, one in each hand, and moved to stand on the other side of the counter from me and set the glasses down before she then went to the fridge and pulled out some juice. She set a bottle of cranberry and a bottle of orange in front of me and smiled. "Pick yer poison, Sugar. Cranberry is my favorite, but I hear orange tastes pretty good, too."

A felt my brow rise against my wishes. "I thought you couldn't have human food."

She grinned wide. "Juice ain't food, Sug."

I went to open my mouth, but she had a point, I guess. So instead, I just watched as she went about making two drinks. When she slid one to me and she brought the other to her lips, I had to stop her. "I didn't even know vampires could drink. The Cullens never did. I would have thought Emmett and Jasper would have if it were possible for vampires to get drunk."

Right before she took a drink, Charlotte looked at me, her eyes searching mine for a moment before a slow smile pulled at her lips and she set her glass down. "Ah, I know what's goin' on now. Makes a little more sense than the shit Peter been able to spit through anger and frustration."

Looking at the clear liquid in front of me, I paused in my deciding between juices and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

She took a long drink before setting her glass down. She then laced her fingers together and placed her chin on the backs of them. "If you gonna base everythin' ya think ya know off them sonsabitches, it ain't no wonder why Peter been so pissed off. You tryin' ta compare apples ta oranges, Sug, and it ain't right. They ain't like us, and we sure as fuck ain't like them. You may think them bastards are great just 'cause they don't eat humans, but really, they somethin' way worse."

At her statement I frowned. How could they be so bad compared to someone that kills others to survive? They didn't play god. They didn't decide who was deserving of life and who wasn't. Hell, Peter didn't even try to make sure the people he killed were bad people. He just... killed, without care as to who it was or if they had a family or if they were a good person. He took their life and never looked back. Like the guy who Peter killed for his car. He could be so missed and Peter hasn't even given him a spared thought.

Grabbing the cranberry juice, I filled the glass the rest of the way up, looking at the liquid instead of Charlotte. "I don't see it that way. I see a cold blooded murder when I look at him. The Cullen don't..."

I was cut off, and started when she slammed her hand down on the counter, cracking the granite under the force. "Deserve yer loyalty, is what the Cullens don't. You ain't got no idea 'bout nothin', Child. You think just 'cause they don't eat them humans they ain't dickin' 'round with 'em? What do humans eat, smart girl? Animals, right? What gonna happen to that huntin' family that dependin' on them deer to make it through the winter? What gonna happen when they can't find food? Tell me, girl, would ya rather die in one minute or slowly cause you starvin' ta death? It ain't such a noble act when you take time to consider that, is it, Human? You ain't got no idea what them vampires been responsible for. I do. I been cleanin' up after them fer decades, Jasper longer than that. You gotta look past the fact you been close to 'em, cause they ain't whatcha think. Yeah, Peter kills, but at least it only takes a couple for him to be good for months. How often them Cullens feed? Do ya even know?"

I went to open my mouth to answer when someone else did it for me.

"Course she don't. Girl don't know nothin' they don't want her to."

Closing my eyes and praying for strength, I then turned to the door, expecting the same pristine Peter that left to be the one that returned.

It wasn't.

He had blood all over himself. It stained his shirt, dripped from his hat and hair onto his face. A puddle of it seemed to form around him like a morbid lake telling of his every sin.

I bulked and jerked back when his now bright red eyes landed on me.

He crossed his arms before pointing at me, a piece of someone's flesh hanging from his nail.

"You an' I gonna talk, Darlin'. I ain't gonna fight whichca. I'm over the yellin'. We gonna figure this out, one way or another. You either gonna listen, or you ain't. What's it gonna be?"

I looked at the blood soaked demon and bit my lip as I considered what he said. Finally, I nodded. He was right about one thing. I was over the yelling, too. Once he was done, I was going to make him keep his promise to take me back to the Cullens, and back to where things made sense.


	8. Chapter 8

**I wasn't gonna update again tonight, but I feel for one of my readers, and am aiming to cheer her up some more. Not gonna put you on the spot, babe. You know who you are.**

 **PPOV**

Leaning on the counter, I looked down at my nails as I picked the poor bastard's skin free. I was nearly sloshy I ate so much, but it was needed so I didn't end up killing this fucking human. There was something about her, and I still wasn't sure what it was. It was more than owing my life to the tiny irritation. That was small pickins in comparison. She was... bold, for lack of a better word. She didn't back down when she knew she should and willing to go toe to toe with Satan himself.

Flicking my thumb nail under the nail on my middle finger, I grabbed the bottle of vodka and finally looked at the human that apparently couldn't get past appearance. I was a bloody fucking mess, but it was to serve a point. If she thought before she was safe, she needed to know she wasn't. Might be the deterrent needed for her to keep her voice down. Bitch had a loud mouth and I wasn't sure how much more of it my hearing could take.

Bringing the bottle to my lips, I spoke around the rim. "Ask, Darlin'. I can smell it."

I heard her clear her throat and shift in her seat. "How many people died tonight?"

I wrinkled my nose then shrugged, taking a long pull from the bottle before setting it down and going back to cleaning my nails. "Does it really matter?"

"Kinda."

Glancing at her as a drop of blood fell from my hair onto my cheek, I licked it off as it slid. "Ten." She gasped and I shrugged. "I ain't gonna say I'm a scout, Darlin', 'cause I ain't. I'm a mean sumbitch, and I own that 'bout myself. Can you look me in the eye and own up your own faults?"

"My faults don't kill innocent people."

I grinned at her. "What makes you think they so innocent? Ain't no human innocent but babes, Darlin'. They the only ones that ain't done no wrong in life."

"But you kill their parents, and don't care."

I nodded. "That true 'nough, I suspect. Tonight, I ate a would be rapist and two wife beaters. 'Long with four gang members that talked 'bout hittin' up a old betty's place 'cause they heard she got money. The last three tried ta steal my wallet while pointin' a gun at my face. Wouldn't kill me, no, but you ever been shot? Shit hurts."

I watched that last sentence sink in and she blinked. "You... feel pain?"

I snorted. "'Course I do. I got nerves, and you done been on every last one a 'em."

She licked her lips. "But... the Cullens..."

When she trailed off, I cocked my head. "You startin' ta see it now, Darlin'? The difference between them an' the rest a us? They got dull and pointless senses. They don't feel like they should, and that makes 'em so much more dangerous. They ain't got the morals they spout out. They talk, but they can't act. They get others ta do it for 'em. They some charismatic assholes, I'll give 'em the credit they deserve there. But, they ain't shit, and they don't deserve shit. You might wanna take a minute to consider somethin' else, Darlin'."

She didn't look like she wanted to ask, but she did. "What's that?"

Grabbing a towel off the counter, I began to wipe my hands at I looked at her. "Why, if they so up ya ass like ya think, ain't they here yet? Why didn't they come get ya from France? Alice woulda known ya got out, and if they wanted ya, don't ya think they woulda came an got ya? Or, better yet, why did we haveta get out on our own, when she woulda known you was there? You gotta start usin' ya head, Darlin'. I ain't the enemy here. I ain't gonna say I ain't one. I'm just sayin', I ain't yours."

The look that overtook her face would have been heart crushing if I had one. She literally looked like I stomped on her puppy's head right in front of her. Her eyes welled up with tears and she swallowed hard. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

Grabbing the other bottle of vodka off the counter, I opened it and walked to the island she was sitting at. "I think ya need a drink."

She watched as I made her another vodka cranberry, her eyes distant as the first tear broke from her eye. "They really did it, didn't they? They really sold me out like that."

I did feel for the girl. I nodded. "Yeah, Darlin'. Are you finally ready ta listen to me? Or you wanna keep arguin' 'bout how I knew 'bout you?"

She didn't look at me. "No. What's the point?"

Double checking my hand to make sure the blood was gone, I reached across the counter and took her chin in my fingers, forcing her to look up. When I had her attention, I gave her a smile. "The point, Little Sugar, isn't ta let this break ya. You gotta fight back, now. It might seem like it, but this ain't the end a the world. Trust me, you gonna get through this, and I'm gonna help ya."

Her eyes clearly said she didn't believe me. "Why? If it's because I helped you get out of the chains, really, we're even. You got me out of the palace."

Rolling that around in my mind, I pursed my lips and nodded slowly once. "True. But, an' I'm sure I said this, you an' I done been fucked by the same mother fuckers, an', you an' I gonna get even."

She sniffled hard, running the back of her hand over her nose. "How? There are only two of us, and seven of them. Not to mention, one of us is human. On top of that, they have the Volturi and I remember this one time Jasper talking about army buddies from before he met Alice, so they have them too."

I cut in with a teeth flashing smirk. "No he don't. Me and Char them army buddies. That aside, I'll admit they got us in bodies. That ain't up for debate. But, you ain't got no idea 'bout what Charlotte and I can do, Little Sugar. There lots a things you don't got no idea 'bout."

She sniffled again, but picked up her drink and brought it to her lips, speaking around the rim. "Like what?" After she swallowed a rather large mouthful and shuddered it down, she licked her lips and looked at me. "You better have a big bag of tricks, Peter. They have who are, quite possibly, the most powerful vampires alive on their side. What could you possibly be able to do to counteract their gifts, plus the Volturi?"

By the time she was done talking, I know I looked as offended as I felt. A corner of my lip was curled, and I was giving her the stink eye. Yeah, I was well aware we were outnumbered, and out gamed, but you don't live as long as I have without picking shit up over the years. Unfolding my arms, I set my hands on the counter and leaned in real close to her face; so close I could count her individual pores. Then, I lowered my voice for that added effect. "We gonna pick 'em off, one, by fuckin' one. Then, when it just down to that fuckin' coven, we gonna squash 'em like the cockroaches they are. You wanna know what they doin', right this second?"

She clearly did not want to know, but I felt it was time for full disclosure of just what kind of situation this was.

"They in the process of erasin' you, erasin' me, and erasin' Char. They don't want us to exist no more. They want us gone, Little Sugar. Wanna know somethin' else? They doin' it cause they scared."

She blinked, but didn't pull back. "What do they have to so afraid of?"

The tip of my nose was now touching her's. "Us." I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "We got 'em, Sugar, in the only way that matters. They may got us on the run, but we got 'em by the balls." Lifting up one of my arms, I pointed at the hole you could actually see through in my wrist. "This shit right here, them fuckin' Italians don't want no one seein'. It proves more than I'll ever be able ta explain. They overstepped themselves, and they know the only way they can fix it, is ta make us disappear. They gonna do it, too, and we gonna let 'em."

She looked up at me through her lashes, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Why? I don't understand. If they do that, then, I really can't go home."

I just scratched my brow with the tip of a fingernail. "I had thought it was clear ya couldn't do that anyway. Let me ask ya somethin'. Ya want your family to live through this shit, right?" When she nodded, I continued. "Then they gotta think you gone. It be better iffin they thought you was dead, but so long as they don't find ya, there ain't no worry 'bout anythin' happenin' to 'em. We playin' a pretty deadly game here, though, Little Sugar. Ya know that, right?"

Her eyes dropped again and she nodded. "Yeah, but you said you would..."

I cut her off, knowing where she was about to take that statement. "I said we would figure somethin' out. I never said you was gonna be able ta go home. Don't make what I said inta somethin' I didn't, now. But, just so there ain't no more misunderstandin', your human life over, Little Sugar. Sure, ya can stay human, but the life ya had is gone. Best ya can hope for now is a good 'nuff new one to make up for that."

I sighed and dropped hard against the back of her seat. "That isn't possible."

I nodded, and didn't argue. "I'm sure right now it ain't, Little Sugar. But, you gonna have to accept the fact your life done and gone. You can stay human if ya wanna. I won't force the issue of ya livin' status. Keep in mind, though; you gonna have ta stay with me if ya keep ya pulse."

Her face turned nearly patronizing. "And if I give it up, you'll just let me waltz on outta here?"

I snorted. Snarky shit. "I ain't no warden, Sug. In a few months, I ain't gonna stop ya if you wanna leave." Pointing a finger at her, "will stop ya 'fore then, though." When she cocked a brow at me, I crossed my arms. "Let's focus on that a moment, hmm? You give up the pulse, it'll be my venom that changed ya, and regardless a the fact the ones that wrote them rules chasin' our asses, them rules still there to be followed by others that don't know it. I turn a fresh baby loose and any chancea not dyin' one way or another goes out the window the first time you fuck up... and ya will, I guaranfuckintee it. Those first few months some kinda hell, and there ain't no one that able to avoid it."

Before Bella could say anything to me, Char popped her head back into the kitchen, her eyes tentative. "Not ta mess up y'all gettin' along or nuthin', but Peter, you gonna wanna see this."

Glancing at her, I nodded to show I heard her before returning my sights to Bella. Tapping the counter to pull her attention back to me, I gave her a grin. "You think on that, Little Sugar. We'll get together later and figure out the rest. You g'on and head upstairs ta the second room on the left and get cleaned up."

I just about all the way out of the kitchen when I heard my name, causing me to pause and look back with a 'yeah?'. Bella swallowed hard before she cleared her throat and spoke. "What are the chances of them already having been to Forks?"

I tilted my head to the side. "You wanna know if they already dead?" When she nodded, I shrugged. "Dunno, Little Sugar. But I'll find out for ya, if ya want."

She just nodded and slid off her stool, taking her glass with her when she stood. "Okay. Second on the left, right?"

I nodded and she slipped past me, heading for the stairs. When she was gone from sight, Char spoke again. "They dead, ain't they?"

I nodded again. "Yeah. She don't need that last bubble burst just yet, though, so keep your damn mouth shut."


	9. Chapter 9

**BPOV**

Instead of getting a desperately needed shower, I sat on the bed that was in the room I was told to go to, glass of alcohol in hand. Looking down at it, I frowned. I gotta admit I hadn't given myself a lot of time to think about my situation since I woke up in that room with Peter. Thinking meant there was a chance things I didn't want to sink in would, and then I would be forced to consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, Peter wasn't the bad guy I really wanted to make him.

Really needed to make him.

If he wasn't the bad guy, that meant the Cullens were the villains in the part of my story, and I knew I couldn't handle that. For a year they were my heroes, needed protectors. They were always there when I needed someone, each one of them serving a different purpose I needed. Emmett was the big brother I always wanted. Esme was the mother I never had. Carlisle was a second father and everything Charlie wasn't in that department. Alice was the best friend who was always there. Even Rose and Jasper were important to me.

Then there was Edward; my Adonis. He was everything anyone could ever want in a man. He was proper, sweet, drop dead beautiful. Hr was everything every other teenager wasn't. He was cultured, protective, loving. He looked at me and my heart stopped. I was willing to do anything for him to make me like him, to turn me so we could always be together.

The day he left was the day I died. He took everything I was and would be with him. He left me hollow on the cold ground, yet I loved him still, and probably always would.

If Peter was right about everything, than what did that mean for me? Would I really never be able to see my family again? My friends? At least the few I still had, anyways. Would I really never be able to go home?

Home... Without wanting to, I then thought of Charlie. He had to be going out of his mind with worry by now. I mean, I've been missing for a week, probably more since I didn't know how long it took to wake up in that awful underground cell. I had to somehow let him know I was alive, at least for now, but that I wasn't coming back. I would have to come up with something to tell him, some lie to explain my vanishing and my continued absence, but nothing was coming to mind. Funny, I always thought it would be easy to say goodbye to him, to never see him again. I had planned on that exact scenario to happen. Truth was, it wasn't. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Licking my lips, I brought the drink in my hand to my lips and, after letting out a hard breath, I drank it all in one go, the vodka burning it's way down my throat and into my belly. I didn't care if it made me sick. Honestly, I wanted it too. I wanted something else to focus on. I NEEDED something else to focus on.

Standing, I moved to the dresser and set down the empty glass and picking up a necklace that was sitting in a dish. It was pretty for as simple as it was. It was just a white gold chain with pendant of what looked to be a coat of arms. It wasn't one I had ever seen before, so I had to assume it was Charlotte's, simply because it was clearly meant for a girl.

Raising a brow, I decided to be noisy and snoop around a little. I mean, if I was told I was allowed in here, clearly I was allowed to look around. Opening and closing drawers, my confusion only mounted as I came across clothing. I couldn't figure out why I was sent to a room that was becoming increasingly clear to be occupied.

I was about to ask about it but I was stopped when I heard the sound of a phone vibrating on the nightstand. Whirling around, I looked at the tiny, innocent, device, my eyes wide and lips parted. Yeah, this had to actually be Charlotte's room, which meant either we were sharing, or I was in the wrong room.

While the thought to leave entered my mind, it left just as quickly. Glancing at the door, I took a deep breath and nodded to myself. Moving with as quiet steps as I could, I walked around the bed and looked down at the phone, indecision raging through my gut. I knew what Peter said, that to my family I had to be dead or they would be in danger, but would calling someone else to pass along a message really be so bad? He wouldn't be happy about it, but I knew Jake would somehow let Charlie know I loved him and that I was sorry for everything. Licking my lips, I reached to pick it, but froze when I heard a voice behind me.

"Don't do it, Little Sugar."

I looked to the door and saw Peter standing there, leaning on the jam, his arms and ankles crossed. I know I sounded pathetic when I spoke, I just didn't care. "I have to. He has to know I'm sorry."

I watched his eyes change, softening to a degree I hadn't seen from him. I heard him click his tongue, but a moment later, he shook his head. "There ain't nothin' for ya on the other end a the line, Darlin'."

I looked at him a moment before I squared my shoulders and picked up the cell phone. Clearly, if he had a place like this, he could afford the international call. Flipping the phone open, I shot him a look as I dialed Jake's number. "But, you're not a warden, remember?"

The look he sent me told me to go ahead and make the call. He simply held out a hand, as if actually giving me permission. I put the phone to my ear and waited for Billy's gruff voice to answer, but it just kept ringing. I saw Peter's brow raise and I swallowed hard as I took the phone away.

Refusing to give up, I decided to call my dad directly. I would figure out what to say when I heard his voice. While I dialed that number, I spoke to Peter. "Landline. Must have been outside." To my surprise, he pursed his lips and nodded, as if to agree that was a viable option. Dread started to wash over me as my dad's house phone just continued to ring. Pressing my lips together in a hard line, a lump formed in my throat as I hung up, again without an answer. Shaking my head, I cleared my throat and dialed another number. "Time difference. He's probably at work."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Peter push himself off the door frame and begin to close the distance between us as the phone at the station rang without answer. He was right in front of me when I ripped the phone away from my ear, frantically dialing another number, looking back up into his red eyes as the ringing started again.

I saw him lick his lips and open his mouth, but I wasn't ready to hear anything he had to say. Jerking away from him, I glared at him as I hung up the call to Angela's house and dialed Mike's cell. As the ringing started yet again, I snapped at Peter. "NO! No, someone will answer. Someone always answers."

Tears prickled my eyes as Mike's voicemail picked up, forcing me to hang up and call someone else. Dialing Jessica's cell, I whimpered in my throat when it didn't even ring, just went straight to her greeting. Dropping my arm, the first tear broke free and I lifted the phone again, this time calling Newton Outfitters. Mrs. Newton would pass the message along for me I was sure of it.

I heard my name spoken softly behind me, but I ignored it as I verbally begged for someone to answer the phone, but it just kept ringing. Whirling around, I stared at Peter in horror, his eyes telling me I was right.

I shook my head. "No. Please, no. This isn't happening."

Peter's voice was quiet as he nodded. "You right, Little Sugar. It ain't happenin'. It's already done."

I whimpered. "Everyone?"

He nodded again. "Everyone. I told ya b'fore. They erasin' us. Nothin' was gonna stop this."

Looking at device in my hand, I swallowed hard and raised it to my face, blinking so I could see the numbers and dialed my mother, eyes closing when it went straight to voicemail. A sob rocked my body and my knees gave out. My head dropped, and I looked at the carpet. "What am I gonna do?"

I felt a finger under my chin, and l let him guide my face up to look at him. Though his eyes were still soft, the already hard lines of his face seemed to harden even more. He was crouched in front of me, the hand that wasn't holding my head up draped between his bent knees. His voice was quiet, but carried an edge to it. "You gonna get up, and you gonna fight back."

I choked on a sob. "How? How do you beat someone like this?"

It was then his eyes hardened. "You beat 'em by doin' the one thin' they don't wantcha too. You survive."


	10. Chapter 10

**Peter's POV**

In the two days since Bella tried calling every person she could think of, she hasn't done much, which was starting to worry Charlotte something awful. I could hear her on second floor at all hours of the day, trying to convince the girl to eat something, but Bella either completely ignored her, or screamed to high heaven to leave her alone. It was either one extreme or the other, and though Char was having a hard time watching the girl suffer, I knew it was something she had to go through. No amount of talking or begging was going to move her out of depression and into anger, so I felt it best to let her be and focus on other things.

For those two days, I spent most of my time in the basement, biding it and looking for the answers I figured I was gonna get asked. There was little that was going to be found, but even what was wasn't going to be true. See, I knew how those people died, didn't take a genius, but you can't just wipe out a that much of a town's population without some kind of attention being drawn to it. It was that attention I was currently looking for. Bella's mother was quick and easy, but taking care of the place she was taken from, that took a little more work. It wasn't like it used to be. You couldn't just waltz in and level a place anymore. Even with a town so small it itself probably forgets it's there, with the way the entire world was connected these days, someone was eventually gonna notice something isn't right.

Once again hearing Charlotte prattle on as she ignored Bella's protests against both food and company, I growled low and glared up at the ceiling. Now, I am not one to usually get pissed off over trivial bullshit, but damn it, how many times does the girl gotta tell someone to leave her be before the other party finally listens? Having reached the end of my rope, I got out of my seat and darted from the basement to the second floor. Standing at the door, I took a moment to assess the situation, and growled again before I barked. "Charlotte Nichole." When she whipped around, I glared at her. "Leave the girl be."

The look on Char's face was one of complete worry. "She needs ta eat, Peter."

I snorted. "Ain't no human in history ever died a two days a not eatin'. She'll be fine. Leave her be." When she once again protested, I growled. "Don't test me, Woman."

She jerked back at the statement, but wisely kept her yap shut and nodded before leaving the room. She paused when she was even with me, and turned to look up at me. "If she dies, it's on you."

I snorted. "She ain't gonna die, Betty. She may wanna, but she ain't gonna. Now git."

It wasn't until Charlotte was out of her sight that Bella finally pulled her face out of her pillow and looked at me. "I'm sure she means well."

I shrugged and leaned on the door jam. "I'm sure she do, too. There a time an' a place for pushiness, though, and this ain't it." I cocked a brow, "is it?" All she did was shake her head and lay it back down. Clicking my tongue, I let out a breath. "I got some news for ya, Little Sugar. Don't know iffin ya ready ta hear it though."

She didn't move, and even I could barely hear her. "Is it going to make a difference?"

I shook my head. "Prolly not."

Her voice carried a finality to it I wasn't expecting. "Then it doesn't matter." I nodded and was going to leave it at that, but before I could close the door all the way, she spoke again. "Do you know what I've been thinking about for the past two days?"

Reopening the door, I stayed there with my hand on the knob, a brow raised. I honestly hadn't thought she was going to be up for talking for at least another couple of days. With a hum in my throat, I shrugged a shoulder. "No idea."

She still didn't move, but I saw her eyes harden from my place at the door. "I was thinking mostly about how an entire town could be wiped out, just like that. I was thinking about just how little humans really mean in the world. I wondered for a while if they suffered before they died. I wondered if any of them knew they were dying because of me. I considered joining them. Then I really thought about it, and figured out this isn't my fault, at least not entirely. I thought about how the Cullens were able to get off the hook for me knowing about them, yet you, who I've never seen prior to the cell in Italy, ended up paying their consequence. When Charlotte came in I was thinking about how does any of this happen." It was then she turned her eyes on me, "do you have any of those answers?" I hesitated before I said no, and she closed her eyes. "You're lying."

I clicked my tongue again, letting go of the door knob and crossing my arms. She asked for it. "Would it really help ya ta know all them people you cared about suffered a whole lot b'fore they died? They were slaughtered by vampires, Little Sugar. A'course they suffered. Maybe a han'ful were spared, but not many a 'em. How's that for the truth?"

She looked at me, tears flowing from her eyes like crystal rivers down her cheeks. When I was done, she just nodded her head, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Do you have a plan? Do you have any idea what you're going to do?"

I snorted. "A'course I got a plan. I got a lot a 'em. Most a 'em involve you."

Finally, she sat up, pulling her pillow into her chest. "Do you really think we can win?"

I nodded. "I know we can." Finally pushing off the door frame, I walked into the room, stopping at the foot board, and setting my hands on it, looking her in her tear filled eyes. "We got done dirty, and I ain't a fan. Don't much seem ta me you is either. I smashed my moral compass decades ago. I ain't a nice guy, Bella, by any means. I'm a dirty fighter, and I'm good at it. I'ma make you good at it, and we gonna get 'em back."

She sniffled and dropped her eyes. "You seem so sure."

Moving around the bed, I crouched next to her, raising a hand and crooking a finger under her chin, forcing her to lift her head and look at me again. Once I had her attention again, I smirked. "Cause I am. There are three truths in my world, Little Sugar. The first is, fuck with my money, ya die. The second is, ya fuck with me, ya die. The last is, ya fuck with what's mine, I'll fuckin' destroy ya. That last one important cause you, Little Sugar, are mine."

One of her brows rose. "In what way?"

I made a noise in the back of my throat. "Dunno know yet. Don't need ta know yet. All that need ta be known is, you mine, and when you ready, we gonna fuck, them, up."

Now she became a little more standoffish. "Ready how?"

Letting go of her chin, I dropped that hand over my thigh and gave her a look. "You ain't gonna survive shit human, Little Sugar; you gotta know that. We ain't good odds here. It three a us against hundreds a them. Char and I are good now, but we ain't that good."

Her face became cynical. "Your confidence is inspiring."

The statement pulled a growl from my throat. "My confidence is the only reason you alive right now, Human. Let's keep that shit in mind. Now, you got two choices here. You can die at first run-in, or you can live ta see the other side a the night. I don't rightly care which way ya choose, but I'm here ta tell ya, odds'll be better once you ain't so susceptible ta death."

She glared back at me. "Remind me which one of us was the reason we were able to get out of there at all?" Her eyes went wide and she faked shock. "That's right... it was me; the useless little human. Don't forget that."

I growled low. "Somethin' tells me you ain't eva gonna let me." When she smirked, I decided to knock her down a few pegs. "But, which one a us got the other OUT of the place? You mighta got me off the wall, but I got ya ass out, and been takin' care a it since. I ain't down playin' whatcha did, but don't focus on it too long, Little Sugar. There a much bigger picture."

She humphed but decided against commenting on that and decided to instead focus on something else. "You said before we were going to take them out one by one, right?" I nodded and she continued. "How do you plan on getting them to separate?"

I grinned, a chuckle in my throat. "Bait."

It was then fear entered her eyes. "What kind of bait?"

I stood up and grinned at her. "The kind they can't ignore. We got plenty a cards ta play, Little Sugar, and I intend ta play 'em all. All you gotta do is decide when you wanna join the fun. Told ya, I ain't gonna force this life on ya, but eventually, it gonna happen. It gonna havta for ya ta survive. This a deadly game for all a us, Bella. I both can and will protect yer human ass, but it gonna be easier for all a us when you can protect your own."

She frowned slightly, but didn't comment for a long moment. When she did, her voice was distant. "I wanted to become a vampire to be with Edward. I never thought, for even a moment, I would end up becoming one to kill him."

A dark chuckle slipped past my lips causing her head to snap up to look at me. "You leave that sumbitch ta me. He's had a good ol' fashioned southern ass whoopin' comin' ta him for a lot longer than you even been alive. Both his, and my sire's, asses are mine."

Her eyes fell again, that same frown sliding back into place. "I don't know if I could ever hurt any of them."

Grabbing her wrists, I pulled her out of the bed and looked down at her, my hands settling on her hips. "When I'm done withcha, you ain't just gonna hurt 'em, Little Sugar. You gonna kill 'em."

 ***X***

 **DUNN DUNN DUNNNNNNN...**

 **Being blindsided usually doesn't end well. And, well... the bitch is loyal; gotta give her that, right?**

 **So, what's up next for Little Sugar? For Peter? What about Charlotte?**

 **Lots of shit is about to go down as the Cullens and Volturi continue their scramble to erase a vampiric legend and walking/talking evidence of favoritism.**

 **What does Peter have up his sleeve? What do the Cullens? What do the Volturi?**

 **Will Bella be everything Peter thinks she will, or will her loyalty to the Cullens prove to be his downfall?**

 **All these questions and more to be answered as the story continues.**

 **See all y'all next time!**

 **~Speklez.**

 **P.S. If I vanish for a bit, don't feel slighted. I am in the middle of publication on my second release, and that takes time and focus.**

 **KISSES!**


	11. Chapter 11

**PPOV**

 **Three days later...**

 _Her smooth skin slid under my fingertips while quiet whimpers and whines caressed my ears. I felt her fingers slip into my hair as I slowly moved down her body, pressing my lips lightly against her flesh._

 _The tip of my nose skimmed her stomach, down to her navel before I made my way back up. I pushed myself up by my hands, dipping my head back down and capturing a perky peak between my teeth. A light tug had her back arching, pushing more in my mouth making me purr. Sealing my lips, I let the tip of my tongue flick out, swirling around the nipple before I gave it a suck, a gasped cry escaping and breaking the silence._

 _Little fingers tightened and pulled at my hair as her excitement began to grow, a responding pleasure filled growl rumbling in my chest. Lost in her fog of growing ecstasy, my teeth raking her skin was lost on her, the little lines deep enough to ooze bloodlaced venom. After bathing the sites, collecting the unknown offering, I abandoned my current place and once again headed south._

 _Light nips and peppered kisses showed my progress to the destination that we both wanted me to reach. My tongue once again flicked out, dipping into her belly button making her squirm slightly._

 _An inch above where I was heading I lifted my eyes, looking up and seeing her head thrown back and lips trembling. Taking a deep scent of the air, a smirk pulled at my lips. This wouldn't take long. I haven't even done anything yet and she was ready to explode._

 _Dragging my fingers lightly yet roughly across the dip in her hip on one side, I licked the dip on the other before giving it a nip. Fingers running the apex of her leg, I then, finally, gave into her silent wishes, running the pad of one finger back up the slit and gave a rough suck on the skin of her hip. I barely touched the button at the top, my nail just catching it yet that was all it took to send her over her edge of bliss. She was so worked up, however, that she actually choked on her cry of release, the sound caught in her throat._

 _Only slightly letting her come down, I looked up at her again, seeing bright red eyes staring back at me. I grinned at her, my teeth flashing in the light. "Round one, My Little Sugar."_

Eyes snapping open, I shot out of the chair I had taken up residence in three days ago like I was kicked straight in the ass. The action was so out of nowhere, it actually made Charlotte jump and drop the book in her hands. She looked at me, but I was looking at the nearly done changling on my bed, eyes wide and dick at full attention.

Where the fuck...

Shaking my head, I headed for the door with an 'I gotta go'. Charlotte, still not sure what was going on, called after me to wait, to which I shook my head again, looking back at her. "I gotta get out a here, Betty. I'll catch her dinner while I'm out, but if she wakes up 'fore I get back, you know whatcha doin'."

I had barely made it out the door before I found a pint sized blonde blocking my path with a hand on my chest. I looked down at her as she looked up at me, her lips turned down and her eyes worried.

Her voice was soft, but there was an edge to it. "What's the matter, Sug? You lookin' like you seen a ghost."

 _You could say that, Betty._ Again, I sighed as I removed her hand. "I just need some air, Dolly. I'm 'ight."

When you spend, collectively, over a century around the same person, there are things you just pick up... like when to pick your battles. Her eyes said she knew there was something going on with me, but she knew better than to prod. Instead, she just nodded and stepped off to the side.

I didn't say a word as I passed her, my mind refusing to give up the fantasy of me and Bella. Every time it ended, it would start again, the detail sharp and painful. I could still taste her bloody venom on my tongue and feel her skin against mine.

With a snarl on my lips, I glanced over my shoulder before sprinting out of the house. Distance... distance was needed, and needed badly. I'm one of the fastest mother fuckers on the planet, and I couldn't outrun her scent. No matter how fast I moved, or how far I ran, it followed, torturing me with a sweetness and tang that literally had my mouth watering. I couldn't swallow the venom fast enough, the overflow dribbling down my chin like an iridescent waterfall. Why couldn't I get away from it? I was miles from the house, miles from her, and it was as fresh as it would be if I were still sitting at her deathbed.

With a growl, I drove my foot into the ground, kicking up a wall of earth, covering the area in a dirty fog. Not unlike my mind, actually. Nostrils flaring, I whirled around, looking for the newborn that somehow passed Charlotte and followed me, only to find myself completely alone in the middle of nowhere.

I panted hard, growls and snarls slipping past my lips in time with the sounds from the Little Sugar as the vision of her beneath me played through once again. Every new intake of her scent made it all the more real, all the more desirable to make an actual reality.

Mother fucker.

My fingers slipped into my hair, and I dropped my head to my chest, glaring at the ground as I was once again bombarded with a very naked, and very willing, bed partner. Lowering my eyes, my lip curled as my hand raised, pulling out the front of my shirt. Blood... there was blood on my shirt. Well, that explains the scent. That intoxicating, overwhelming, scent of...

With a growled huff, I pulled my shirt off and stared at the splotches of crimson; the taunting, teasing little bastards. My tongue tingled with the memory of what that blood tasted like, and it was fucking delicious. I've turned a lot of humans in my day, and never once had the trouble stopping I had with Bella. She was literally the best thing I had ever tasted, and I very nearly didn't stop. I also hadn't really put any thought into my teeth slipping into her neck. I hadn't planned on it being quite so soon, but it happened, and she didn't fight it.

Shaking my head, I tossed the bloody shirt away and decided to let it alone. It was probably just her blood in my belly and the fact she was still alive that caused the little show in my mind, and as soon as her blood ran its course, this little fantasy would as well. Besides, I had far more important things to think about above who stars in my very active imagination. What I was dutifully overlooking, though, was Bella wasn't even close to the first female I've sired, but she was the first I was contributing blood to sexual fantasies.

Dropping, I sat on my hunches and again lowered my head, chin to chest. Since there was nothing to figure out there, simply because I refused to acknowledge it, I turned my thoughts over to the crux of the situation at hand. There was a whole lot of people out to fry both mine and Bella's asses, and I still didn't know why. What was the point of all this? Why would anyone go to such lengths to kill two people?

With that thought, a different one surfaced. What if, it wasn't so much the lengths they're going to, to kill two people, but more so the ones they're going to, to save their own asses? That made much more sense. I have killed every human Edward has invited into our world over the last sixty years, so I have first hand knowledge of them breaking the rules. Bella IS that first hand knowledge of them breaking the rules. My head snapped up as I figured it out, my theory slipping out loud from my lips. "He did it again, and they got caught."

Deference. It was a southern vampire's greatest asset. You get caught doing something wrong, like help create an army, you pass that shit on to whoever you can. In this case, getting caught willingly allowing a human to not only live in our world, but to let them live when you leave the area, would absolutely be something anyone would want to put on someone else. That's cause for death, and I knew well that none of those mother fuckers had any interest in dying. Since I had been told about her, I also knew there was a human with knowledge she shouldn't have, and that could be backed up with one touch of my skin. I had no idea what was told to Aro, but I knew that's why I was sent to Forks after her. I tried to save the human from the guard, and I'm sure that looked like something it sure the fuck wasn't. It also, quite possibly, backed up whatever was told to the Asshole in Chief himself.

The question now was, what did the self-appointed jackass have on me and Bella to drive him the distance he went? What was he told? One human wasn't worth all this, not even to him. There was more to it, and I had to know what that was. And, where the fuck was this so-called world's greatest tracker? We've been in the same place long enough. He should have found us by now.

The corner of my lip curled and I pulled out my phone. I needed one answer, and once I got that, I could further journey down this road.

Dialing a number I have never used, and don't even remember how I got, I put the phone to my ear and waited, chuckling when I heard a gruff greeting of 'who the fuck is this?'

There was a promise in my voice, and a dark smirk on my lips. "You got some 'splainin' ta do, ya self-important sumbitch. I'll give ya one chance ta survive this 'cause, when I come, I'm bringin' Hell with me."

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't deny the, admittedly, volatile dynamic between myself and Bella changed. I couldn't deny things were vastly different than they were even an hour ago. I wasn't just out to settle a score anymore. I wasn't just out to aid a human in getting her vindication in a fucked up situation. I was now out for something much more than I ever thought I would be. Vengeance wasn't even on the table any longer. I doubt there was even a word for it.

What I'm gonna do will make Satan cower and demons weep.

Maybe before I shatter skulls and torch torsos, I should thank the Cullens. I mean, without them, I probably wouldn't have ever met my girl. Maybe before I send him to Hell, I should clap Jasper on the shoulder for introducing us. Maybe before he dies, I'll force Edward to watch as I fuck my mate senseless.

Maybe...

Maybe...

Maybe...

*X*

 **Rut-row... Seems the Captain is starting to emerge just a little more as time passes. How much longer do you think it'll be before the demon within is all there is?**

 **Peter is such a smart fucker, but he certainly wasn't ready for THAT, was he? *giggles* Told you this was a pairing story. Sometimes, shit takes more than a day and it's a rough road to get there. Doesn't help when the past can't be let go, and old habits die hard.**

 **Now... what DOES the self-appointed jackass have on them? Or at least, what does he think he does? Will Peter figure it out before it's too late?** **Who did he call? Will he get the answers he so desperately thinks he needs, or will he have to employ the art of improvisation? Is he really ready for a newborn Bella when the human version had made it her mission to drive him completely insane?**

 **What's on the horizon for our Captain and Little Sugar? Find out next time!**

 **~Speklez**

 **P.S. this is tomorrow's update. I have other things going on, so don't expect much from me over the next couple of days.**


	12. Chapter 12

**PPOV**

If I thought I was done being plagued by visions of a naked Bella after that first one, I was sorely mistaken. The damn girl couldn't even twitch without my dick shooting to full attention. My eyes followed her every movement, and more often than not, undressed her. Within hours of her waking up, I memorized the sway of her hips when she walked, the bounce of her tits when her tinkling laughter sounded in the room. The bite mark on her neck called to me at the most inconvenient times, and I've had just about all I can take.

Control was never my strong suit, and this shit was getting out of hand.

What man allows a tiny little 5 foot nothing female to run them out of their own fucking house? I was starting to run low on excuses, and eventually, I wouldn't have a reason to bolt like a prepubescent bastard around his first crush. I've jerked off more in the last two days than I have in the last two decades, and this was starting to piss me off; a fact that little Miss Charlotte found funnier than hell. There ain't much you can say when your ex wife walks up to your little hiding place only to literally catch you with your cock in your hand. Also, nothing makes a stiffy vanish faster than that scenario, either, and one I currently found myself in. I was leaning back against a tree, looking at the girl, with pure annoyance on my face and a flaccid dick in my hand.

I just clicked my tongue. "Couldn't wait five minutes?"

She just smirked. "Ain't nothin' I haven't seen before, Peter. Can't count how many times I've walked in on ya doin' this. Your pickle ol' news ta me, Sug. Ya might wanna be puttin' it away, though. That little hellion a yours gonna be 'long in a sec, and I doubt you wanna be explainin' this."

I leaned forward and looked around the truck of the tree I was leaning against and snorted at the sight of Bella seeing her own skin in the sun for the first time. I never understood why newborns found that shit so fascinating. In a matter of days, it becomes nothing but a pure annoyance because you realize just how little you can do while the sun is up. Still, Char was right. I really didn't want to explain this, but then again, if I had to explain what a handjob was, I had bigger issues with the girl than I thought.

Tucking myself back into my pants, I sighed and shook my head. "This shit's ridiculous."

She snorted and crossed her arms. "I think it's pretty funny, personally."

I glared at her. "You ain't helpin, either."

She grinned wide at me. "Oh, I ain't tryin'a help. This shit gold, Sug. The legendary Southern Captain bein' overtakin' by a newborn? I couldn't ask for a better soap opera."

My glare darkened. "You a bitch, Betty."

At that, she laughed. "Oh, I know it. An' I own it. Then again... which one a us hidin' in the trees jerkin' the gerkin? You ain't much out a that 'bitch' territory yourself there, Peter."

I growled low and pointed towards the house. "Go away, Charlotte. I'm real close ta not bein' held accountable for my actions."

She just grinned and shrugged her shoulder. "Fine. I'll leave ya to it, Darlin', but you gotta face the fact that girl ain't just a partner in your little plot no more. She more than ya bargained for, and we both know it. You either gotta man up, or all ya gonna do is bitch out. That ain't the man I know, and that ain't the man that Dolly deserve. You ain't ever been the man to back away and not get whatcha want, and it ain't exactly the time to start." She paused after a couple of steps and looked back at me, her brows down and face thoughtful. "I gotta wonder, Peter, why you so against lettin' 'im out the cage. These times? They different he used to, and I'm sure he knows that. But, that little lady belong ta him, too. If you ain't gonna man up, maybe... maybe ya should think 'bout lettin' _him_."

The chosen exaggeration was not lost on me... or him.

I watched her start to walk away again, and I cocked my head. "Ya don't care?"

She looked back at me over her shoulder, her brow raised. "We ain't together, Pete; haven't been in longer than we was. You and I? We got somethin' good, that true. But what ya can have with her, iffin ya can get ya head outcha ass, I ain't ever been, or ever could, give you. We ain't meant ta be more than we are, and we both know it. Why the hell would I care if you happy? You meanin' ta tell me you gonna care when I find my man?"

I snorted and cocked a brow. "Hell yeah I'm gonna care. Prolly whoop his ass, too. Ain't no guy gonna good 'nuff for ya." Then I grinned. "'Sides, who gonna be better than this?"

She just snorted. "You an ass."

I smiled at her. "But I'm a nice ass."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Go get ya girl, Pete, and leave my theoretical man alone."

 **BPOV**

Pretty... Shiny... Thirsty... Shiny... Neat... Pretty... Thirsty... Oopsie... Thirsty... Shiny... Damnit.

My thoughts circled around the same drain, and nothing I did changed it. I used to be able to sit still and just relax, but ever since I opened my eyes, my mind has been overloaded with everything I have never seen before. Smells were stronger. Sights were clearer. Feeling was deeper. Every sense was on a hair trigger, and I wasn't sure how to make it stop.

I would like to say it was cool and that I enjoyed the new sights and smells, but the reality was, it all pissed me off. It was all too much. It was all too soon. I couldn't finish one task before another rose up and stole my attention, and I had no idea how strong I was, which resulted in a lot of broken shit. It didn't seem like it bothered Charlotte that I was basically rendering the beautiful house to rubble before her eyes, but it sure as fuck seemed to piss Peter off.

I could barely walk into a room and he would take off out the door like there was hound from Hell chasing him. I mean, what the fuck is that? He said I got to decide when I was turned, and then the bastard bit me out of nowhere. Now, for whatever reason, he can't even be in the same room as me? That son of a bitch has some explaining to do, and as soon as I can pull myself away from the pretty sparkles surrounding me, I was gonna make him.

Hearing a giggle, I whipped around, my eyes locking on Charlotte and her pure amusement at my fixation. I narrowed my eyes, but the look held no heat. "Glad I amuse you."

She just chuckled. "Been there, Dolly. It takes awhile, but ya should be able ta start ignorin' it soon."

My lip curled. "Promise? This shit sucks."

She lifted a shoulder. "Depends mostly on how much ya decide ta focus on it. Sure, it can be distractin', but it ain't all that after a couple days."

She didn't say anything else, just walked past me into the house, and I called after her, giving her a warning. "Hey, Char..." when she looked back at me, I looked down. "I might have broken something important."

With her hand on the back door handle, she smiled at me. "Ain't nothin' Peter can't fix, Sug. Don't worry about it."

I looked away when there was a squeal following the squeak of the door hinges. I refused to look at her when that noise was followed by 'what the fuck did ya do?'. I looked at my feet when I felt the wetness through my socks, and bit my lip. "I... um... washed my hands."

Her voice was nearly a shriek. "And flooded the kitchen?"

Before I could say anything, there was a chuckle behind me, pulling my attention from the wet ground to Peter as he slowly walked across the yard. "It ain't a big thin', Betty." He then turned his red and amused eyes on me. "She forget we didn't grow up in this kinda environment, and accidents happen." My eyes followed him as he moved past me and over to the side of the house, crouching down next to a pipe and turning a lever that was on it, calling out, "Water off, Char?"

A moment later, she confirmed the waterfall that was the kitchen sink was no longer pouring tens of gallons a second, and he then returned his eyes to me, a smirk on his face. "Don't touch nothin' else in my house 'till you told ya can, Little Sugar."

I growled and glared at him. "I didn't do it on purpose."

He nodded. "I know it. Didn't say ya did. I'm just sayin' don't touch nothin' else, ya won't break nothin' else."

Growling louder. "It's not my fault. You're the one that jumped the gun and bit me before I was ready."

He snorted as he stood. "You think just cause ya know the bite is gonna happen, this shit would be avoided? You some kinda stupid, Dolly. This shit normal, and why I ain't mad and just gonna fix it."

At that, I snarled. "I'm NOT stupid!"

He turned to me, crossing his arms. "Then don't act like it. You barely 48 hours old, Little Sugar. You gonna break shit for a long time comin', and I don't give a shit. Shit gets broke. You ain't gonna be some kinda magical fuckin' being that flies through this bullshit. You gotta earn every ounce a control, and it gotta be earned the hard way. You gonna hate it. It gonna piss ya off. More shit gonna get broke. It's the way a babies; and you, Little Sugar, are a goddamn newborn baby in a house full a breakable shit. No, it ain't your fault, and no one gonna say it is. What will be said though, is this breakable shit mine, and you no longer allowed ta fuckin' touch it."

I have no idea what came over me in that moment, but the more he spoke, the madder I got and, when he concluded his little speech, I snapped.

 **PPOV**

I knew it was coming, and I was ready for it. When she went on the attack, I went headlong into battle with a newborn. She wasn't the only one pissed off at the moment, and a good fight would do wonders for me as well.

Meeting her head on, her superior strength gave her the tackle, but my experience gave me the hand-up. With a foot to her belly, I flipped her over my head and rolled to my feet, teeth bared and fingers curled. Her position mirrored mine and, with nothing but a twitch of her foot, the fight was on.

 ***X***

 ***Shakes head* Will these two EVER get along long enough to actually finish a conversation? I mean... come on, now. *chuckles***

 **So, here we learn that Charlotte is 100% okay with this, and even offers some advice, whether wanted or not. She a peach, ain't she?**

 **Bella's awake and tempting as ever, it seems. Think Peter can keep it in his pants? I certainly hope not. *giggles***

 **Till next time!**

 ***With it being the Holidays, and with me going out of town at the end of the week, this will be my last update for the year. *gasps* I knooow! Such a bummer to write this.**

 **That said, the New Year brings new things, and those new things will be FUCKING EPIC! This story will be completed within the first handful of weeks of the new year (maybe. We'll see. I have quite a bit planned for it, so maybe not.). I also have a bunch of Demetri shit in the works, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, not JUST the continuing of You Will be Mine and Time Heals all Wounds, but their completions as well.**

 **May you all be abundantly blessed, and I hope you have an AMAZING holiday season!**

 **SEE Y'ALL NEXT YEAR!**

 **~Speklez~**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

 **HOLY SHIT! I'M NOT DEAD! *giggles* Okay, for those that follow me on FB, you know that I have been involved in a little thing called FAGE, and since I returned from vacation, that is all I have been working on since there is actually a deadline to have it finished and I pissed around writing it for two months because I was working on this. Well, once I got home, I had three weeks to write a complete story, and that apparently takes me two weeks to accomplish.**

 **I won't apologize for my absence, so don't expect it. However, instead of making you wait a whole two more days for the normal post date, I'm giving it to you now.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Speklez**

 **BPOV**

A snarl slipped past my lips as Charlotte ran venom coated fingers over another long gash on my ribs. I well and truly got my ass whooped, and I was quickly learning it wasn't a good idea to attack someone older than me. Since Char started the task of helping me put myself back together, I had been wracking my brain for any reason I could to justify what happened, but I couldn't. Maybe I just didn't think Peter would actually cause as much damage as he did. Maybe I thought it would finally get him to pay some kind of attention to me. Maybe I wasn't thinking at all. I didn't know.

When I snapped my teeth at her when she closed another gash, she actually bopped me on the nose like a dog. "You stop that, Dolly. I didn't have shit to do with them stupid actions a yours. I mean, really; attacking not only a older vampire, but your fuckin' sire at that? You damn lucky that man like ya, or you would be reattatchin' a limb or two."

I called bullshit, loudly. Looking at her from the corner of my eye as she moved to yet another injury to my back, I huffed. "He hates me now."

I saw her roll her eyes and shake her head. "You the one that attacked him, Dolly. Did ya really think he wasn't gonna defend himself just 'cause you a girl? Peter ain't got no problem hittin' a female that think she can take him. He'll put up with a lot, but he ain't just gonna let someone take his head like you was aimin' to. Also, he not only older than your scant two days by a lot, Peter a trained killer, and he enjoys doin' it. I promise ya this, though, he don't hate ya, Doll."

I looked away with a wince as she closed an actual hole. "Yes, he does. He wasn't there when I woke up, and he's done everything he can to stay away from me since."

Her hair brushed my arm as she shook her head and leaned back, looking me in the eye. "You don't understand ya species, Bella. Ya mind been spoiled against the reality a a real vampire. Peter ain't gonna coddle ya, now. He don't know how. I've been everythin' a person can be with him, and he really is a sweetie. You just gotta stop fightin' him, Darlin', and you'll see it too."

I scoffed. "He's as epic asshole."

To my shock, she nodded. "He that, too. He gonna do what he gotta do in any situation he finds himself in. All a us will. You'll see that as you get grown. You a baby in our world, and you got a lotta learnin' ta do before you go takin' on a vampire as well versed in killin' as Peter is. Not only is that man a literal killin' machine, he your sire, and you a baby. Ya can't kill him. Your mind won't letcha. It knows ya need him. Now, all that 'sides the point here, Sugar. I am here ta tell ya, that man'll spoil ya ass rotten iffin you'll give him the chance."

We both turned to the wall when we saw a beam of light move across it, signaling Peter got back from whatever it was he left to do. I just sighed and shook my head. "Somehow, I doubt that."

She pulled me to my feet, and I wrapped my arms around my broken ribs, grunting as they popped when I stood. Charlotte just looked at me and smiled a smile that clearly said 'I know something you don't'. "They'll reset on they own. It ain't gonna feel good, but in a bit, they'll be fine. Now, Peter gotcha some dinner. It'll help finish healin' the wounds. Try bein' nice, Bella. You might find you'll catch more flies with honey than salt."

I looked down and frowned. "He'll just keep ignoring me, so what's the point?"

She cocked a brow. "Didja ever think that maybe he just don't wanna fight witcha anymore, so he gives ya distance so y'all two don't keep goin' at it like ya did when you was human? The two a ya are neck deep in the same shit, and y'all two are the other's greatest asset. Y'all should have each other's back, not be at the other's throat. You get what I'm sayin' here, Sug? Just be nice and see what happens. I bet you'll surprised."

I gave her a skeptical look, but sighed and nodded. Besides, what could it hurt? Not like this fucked up relationship could get any more fucked.

 **PPOV**

Getting Bella something to eat was way easier than it normally was. A quick swing through the slums with the request for help fixing a broken kitchen sink and a few other things around the house, and two humans, without kids since all that would do would start yet another fight with her, and I was returning home with two willing victims. I had just got done talking them into the basement when Bella herself came strolling into the kitchen, her hair still wet from the shower, and the scent of her blood laced venom that covered her injuries caressing my nose. I had to swallow the purr that wanted to make itself known.

Clearing my throat, I twisted past her and made to leave the room. "Dinner's in the basement."

I had just about made it completely out when her quiet voice stopped me. It was almost scared it was so tentative. "Thank you."

I looked back at her, but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at the floor. I pursed my lips and nodded. "My pleasure, Little Sugar."

It was then she looked up, her own lips pulled into a tight line before she gulped down a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry, too, about before. I don't know what happened."

We both ignored the banging on the basement door as I leaned against the wall next to me and crossed my arms. "I do. I pissed ya off. It was bound to happen some time, Little Sugar."

I watched her nod before she licked her lips, the action making me advert my eyes. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I snorted and this time rolled my eyes. "Not nearly as much as I hurt you. Ya got me a couple times, but a few more bite scars and a couple scratches ain't gonna bother me none. How's the ribs?"

She shrugged. "Hurt."

I nodded. "They will til ya eat. They'll snap back pretty quick though, so be ready for it. Shit hurts. Gotten mine broke enough times."

She looked curious, and she was. "How many?"

I cocked a brow. "How many what? Times I got my ribs broke?" When she nodded, I blinked. "Dunno. Never kept track. See, when I was your age, shit like that was common and used ta keep us youngins in line. Ain't much better than the prospect a broken bones ta make a baby listen. In my rather versed opinion, that shit hurts worse than gettin' a arm or leg ripped off. At this point, that shit just tickles."

Her jaw went slack and her lips parted slightly. She stood there and stared at me for a long moment, saying nothing. When she did, there was a level of awe in her voice. "You're... dark."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Naw, I ain't dark, Little Sugar. I'm tellin' like it is. I didn't have the greatest upbringin', and my entire life revolved 'round gettin' hurt, and hurtin' others. That was the way a thin's for a lon' time. It still kinda is. I ain't got the morals I used ta have, and I take just as much pleasure now in causin' pain as I did then."

I saw her frown, and barely swallowed the groan. "So, you enjoyed what happened before?"

I ran my hand down my face and pushed off the wall. "Don't start, Youngin'. You know damn well that wasn't what I meant. If the only time you happy is when you pickin' a fight or destoryin' my house, I'll oblige ya. But you 'member this one thin', Little Sugar; I ain't got no problem whoopin' ya ass. I done it once, and I will do it again. I ain't gonna like it, but I'll fuckin' do it if ya push me like ya did. I'll put up with a lot, Sugar, more from you than anyone. But ya can't e'pect me to just stand there, now. We gonna fight, and it gonna be often enough without you antagonizin' it."

She actually looked affronted. "I was..." I cocked a brow, and she backtracked. "Okay, this time I was. It's just... I'm having a really hard time figuring you out anymore."

I grinned at her. "I ain't all that hard to figure out, Little Sugar. All you gotta do is stop the bullshit and quit tryin'a bait me. You real young, and fights are gonna happen. We haven't fully crossed that bridge yet, and we won't for a year or better. Just stop goin' outcha way to start 'em, and this shit won't happen no more."

I saw her eyes harden and narrow. "What about you?"

I actually jolted at the question. "What about me? I haven't started shit with you. In case you confused, the start a somethin' is at the beginnin' a the conversation. I end 'em, Little Sugar. I ain't startin' 'em." When she opened her mouth to argue with me, I pointed to the door. "Go eat, Little Sugar. We got company comin', and it been awhile since ya ate."

She blinked at me. "Company? If I can't get along with you all the time, how the hell am I supposed to get along with company?"

With a dark chuckle in my throat, I pushed off the wall and closed the distance between myself and her. Taking her chin gently in my hand, I tilted her head back and grinned. "That just it; ya ain't suppose ta. You just be my Little Sugar, and everythin' will be just fine."

 ***X***

 **WOOOHOOO! Talking that didn't end in the demolition of the kitchen. I call that progress... at least for these two.**

 **So... who's the company coming? There were a few that thought Peter's call was to Jasper, though why I'm not sure. Pretty sure I've made it clear Peter has washed his hands of his sire. But... I guess we'll just have to see. I will tell you this, though... fun times are in store for Little Sugar.**

 **Till next time!**

 **~Speklez**


	14. Chapter 14

**PPOV**

Three things happen, regularly, when you're the sire of a brand spankin' new baby. The first is the most obvious; they pick fights. For obvious reasons, they aren't particularly fond of the one who bit 'em, so they pick and poke until they get what they want... a cheap shot or down and dirty brawl. Rarely will they win the overall confrontation, but it makes them feel better when they land that one blow that actually hurts something awful; something my Little Sugar is damn good at.

The second is, what you thought was yours isn't anymore. It becomes theirs to destroy or leave alone at their personal discretion. The less that baby likes you, the more shit they break and claim it wasn't intentional, even when Mary, Jesus, and my own dead Mama knows that little shit did it on purpose.

The last, and by far the most interesting of the three is, no matter what they feel towards you at any given moment, they will ALWAYS saddle their little ass right up next to you, or behind if they think it's better, when they are put in a situation they aren't comfortable with. Now, my little babe is a prime example of the textbook newborn. She's a volatile pain in the ass, and takes pleasure unmeasurable in making my unlife hell. However, instinct being what it is, she knows I wouldn't actually let something bad happen to her if I was around to stop it. Never mind how many times I've actually said the words to her to that effect; it was actions that were gonna prove it.

Which is exactly why she saddled her happy little ass right up to my back, her tiny hands gripping my forearm, and making sure my much larger frame hid her entire body. I could feel her body tremble every few seconds, her muscles tense and release under the weight of her fight against running away versus defending what she saw as her home. Was it maybe a bad idea to allow her to be present for this? Perhaps. However, this was gonna happen eventually and the sooner she was exposed to more than myself and Charlotte, the better for when other calls and meet-ups happened.

Besides, I didn't rightly give a fuck if she ripped this guy apart. He already served his purpose, and in my opinion, outgrew his usefulness.

Her voice was soft, laced with fear and trepidation. "Peter..."

I used the arm she wasn't holding to wrap around her back, pulling her just a little closer. "Settle, Little Sugar. You a'right."

She wasn't convinced. "That's..."

I nodded and cut her off again. "I know it."

She gulped and ducked further behind me. "How?"

I didn't look away from the black cloak that made its way up the drive. "I invited 'im."

I felt her spine snap straight and just knew she was looking up at me. "Why?"

At the question a smirk formed on my lips. "He knows I'ma rip that coven apart, and he don't wanna die." When the cloaked figure was twenty feet away, I chuckled. "You got some kinda brass balls under that cloak a yours, Caius."

I heard a whimper from Bella, but other than that, she stayed silent as the youngest Volturi leader dropped his hood, his face clearly telling me he didn't like the situation he was in. His voice held the same irritated undertone it always did, but I was expecting nothing less. "When told to come alone by someone like you, it's best to listen, is it not?"

I grinned wide enough to show teeth. "Generally, yeah. Gonna be honest witcha, though. Didn't think you'd listen-given the situation a'course. I sure as fuck wouldn't."

He came to a stop and crossed his arms. "Aro has the majority of the guards looking for the two of you. Who would I have brought with me worth a damn in the area of protection? All that's left at the palace is a hoard of newborns that are more interested in tearing it apart than they are protecting anyone inside."

I snorted. "Yeah, them babies good for that, ain't they? I find it interstin', though, that that tracker a yours ain't found us yet."

Caius shook his head. "A fact that pisses Demetri off to no end, I am certain. Now, I know you did not willing give up your location for a chat with one that wants you dead. Why am I here?"

I cocked a brow. "You don't want me dead. If ya did, ya wouldn't have come all this way on ya own. You woulda told someone where you was goin', and brought friends. You want what's gonna rain down on that self-entitled jackass, you just ain't got in ya to admit it, or ta do it ya self for that matter. That's why you here. Don't think I don't know exactly what's in ya head." Taking that moment, I pulled Bella out from behind me and pulled her back to my chest, wrapping my arms around her shoulders, and tucking her head under my chin. Locking my eyes on Caius, I cocked a brow. "Iffin ya wanna be keepin' that head, you gonna tell this little lady exactly what she wanna know. You may have walked on ta this property on ya own, but I ain't ever said you was gonna leave the same way."

And just like that, Charlotte showed up behind him, blocking his escape, and making him narrow his eyes. "Sergeant. So, you are still alive. Imagine that."

Charlotte's eyes gleamed and her teeth flashed. "Yeah, Sug. Imagine that. Now, I believe you was told you got some 'splanin' ta do."

He sniffed at her, but other than that, simply turned back to Bella, his eyes drinking in her inhuman features and glowing red eyes. I was just this side of the line of ripping his eyes out of his face.

Bella, though, wasn't deterred by the uncomfortable situation anymore; mostly because of the was she was being held. Instead, she just narrowed her eyes at him. "Why? Why did you destroy an entire town and kill all those people?"

To her great surprise, Caius snorted, his brow rising. "Do not flatter yourself, Child, for you are not worth that much effort. What do you think this is? That Dark Ages? Where a swarm of vampires could walk into a village and render it to rubble with no fear of consequence? No. Fifteen minutes on a computer, a handful of locked doors and well placed fires, a large group of starving wolves, and a single car accident was all that was needed to wipe you worthless existence from the face of the Earth."

She was growling, but managed to speak again. "And the people from the reservation? What about them?"

Caius cocked his head. "People from the reservation? Are you speaking of the...?" A dark smirk pulled at his lips. "My, but you were kept fully in the dark, weren't you, Child? They were shifters, beasts; and they tried to intervene. They were dealt with accordingly. Their entire lineage will never again be a problem." Removing his eyes from her, he looked me dead in mine, and his voice hardened. "I have come clean of my crimes, Captain. It is time, you came clean of yours."

Tightening my hold on the now nine kinds of pissed off newborn, I purred in my chest to calm her down and tilting my head, almost to the point it was laying on her's. "I ain't did no wrong. Too much time past ta be judged for what I done, and we both know it. What you was told, was a lie."

The look on his face was comical, but the one thing missing from the emotions that flew through his eyes was surprise. He didn't seem taken off guard. If anything, it seemed to cement something as his eyes hardened. "Are you saying you had no prior knowledge of the human you were found protecting from our guards?"

"I'm sain' I wasn't there ta help her. I was asked ta kill her because she knew the truth, a fact she all too aware of, and ain't none too happy about. This baby you see b'fore ya is the way she is 'cause I do, actually, follow your stupid ass rules. Until two weeks ago, I had no issues with you or yours. Now? I'ma kill every last one a ya. You got this one chance, Caius. You gonna take it? Or is your ass gonna be the first ta go?"

The air of superiority never left him as he turned his nose up at me. "You do not scare me, Captain. I have faced and beaten far worse than you."

At that, I chuckled. "Oh, I doubt that, but I ain't gonna lay a finger on ya. You ain't worth that much effort. I'ma let my girl here go, and she gonna tear ya ass ta shreds. Wanna test me?"

He slanted his eyes back to the newborn in my arms, his lip curling in the corner. I could feel her venom dripping onto my arms from her excessive salivation, but I just ignored it. I figured her drooling at the thought of getting her hands on him was a good thing. The way I saw was, as long as she was pissed off, there wouldn't be anymore pity party on her end, and we could get some shit done. Also, with everything starting to make its way into the light, we might just get her past this ridiculousness of clinging to the Cullens.

I wasn't stupid. It would only be a matter of time before our location got out, and I wanted to be packed up and out of the area before that happened. Caius might not want to die, but he still couldn't exactly be trusted. Also, it would probably snow in Hell before Bella would ever consent to continued exposure to someone that had a hand in the death of her family, and she needed to be a priority. Both her comfort, and her defensive ability, needed to be to be taken care of before pretty much anything else.

So, as I waited for him to make his decision on the matter, I dipped my head and whispered in her ear. "Easy, Little Sugar."

She growled low and responded with a pissiness I didn't think she was actually capable of. "You're just going to let him walk away, aren't you?"

I clicked my tongue. "Trust me, Little Sugar. He gonna get his, don't you worry none now."

With that said, she turned to face me, her nose touching mine and her eyes curious. "One of your cards?"

I grinned and chuckled low. "I call him the Joker."

The corner of her lips curled. "You do know out of the whole deck, that's the one card you can always count on to come back and bite you in the ass later, right?"

Grinning wider, I actually nuzzled my nose against hers. "I'm countin' on it." Not pulling back, I shifted my eyes, watching my self proclaimed better's body language, and smirked. "He don't know it yet, but he gonna have ta choose a side, and when that time comes, Little Sugar, you gonna get your pound a flesh."

She too moved her eyes and looked at him. "He hasn't already made that choice by being here?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. He gonna run his mouth."

Her eyes snapped back to me, and her voice lowered. "Then... why?"

Sliding my nose along her cheek, I put my lips right next to her ear. "You gotta just trust me here, Little Sugar. I do know what I'm doin'."

 ***X***

 **Does he? I dunno; I kinda have to agree with Little Sugar here, Peter. This seems like an unnecessary gamble on your part. I really do hope you know what you're doing.**

 **That said... who saw that shit comin', huh? Bet not a one a ya did. Bella got her answers, and y'all can quit trying to figure out how a town was leveled. I never said everyone was dead, or that the town was gone. I said those she cared about... plus some collateral damage.**

 **I'm not giving anything away here. I'll let you use your *spongebob voice* Imagination.**

 **Oh.. and I *DO* know what I'm doing. Might not seem like it, but I do.**

 **Next chapter things start heating up, so stay tuned.**

 **SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS!**

 **~Speklez**


	15. Chapter 15

**PPOV**

Tucked up under the kitchen cabinet, I was finishing up the repair to the sink when, out of nowhere, there was a crash that actually made me jump. The result was dropping the wrench in my hand and taking the bastard to the eye. With a hand over my face, I shot up, only to hit my head on the under part of the sink, and finishing the job of breaking my fucking kitchen.

Growling low, I blinked to clear my sight before I looked over my shoulder, eyes narrowing at the destruction my head left behind. I had no idea what the fuck those two girls were up to, but I was going to take the cost of replacing that section of counter out of their asses.

Grabbing the wrench I dropped on my face, since with Bella around there was a very good chance there was going to be another sink to fix, I climbed to my feet and stalked through the house, up the steps, and to my bedroom where I could hear them freaking the fuck out. When I got to the door, I froze at what I saw. My jaw dropped, as did the wrench in my hand, as I slowly made my way into the room to get better look at the destructive power of my Little Sugar.

I brought my closed fist up to my mouth, and bit into my knuckle as I watched Bella try and pull herself out of what was at one time my dresser. The dresser itself was broken into multiple pieces, while everything on it, which included the TV, was shattered and piled on top of the newborn baby with the ability to literally break anything she touched.

Charlotte was in the middle of trying to dig her out, but froze when I entered the room. Her eyes were wide and her own lips parted.

I looked at the two girls that refused to move a muscle, and stuttered. "Wha... h... I..." Crossing one arm across my chest, the hand that was in front of my mouth just kinda swayed forward and back a few times before I found my tongue. "What... happened?"

Bella gulped and Charlotte licked her lips. "It was a accident, Sug. We was doin' as ya asked and... um..."

It was then Bella chimed in. "I tripped and... I..."

I held out my palm and she snapped her mouth shut with a click. "Tripped over what?"

Those two girls looked at each other for a second before they looked back at me, and Charlotte whispered. "My foot. I didn't think she'd... I'll replace everythin', Peter, I swear it."

I covered my face with my free hand and growled low. "Get out... the both a ya. Go ta the basement, where nither a ya can break anythin', and stay there 'til I say otherwise. We gotta be up and out a here in a hour. I ain't got the time ta follow y'all two around an' make sure y'all don't break anythin' else."

The two left the room fast enough, but I crossed my arms, pressing my lips together, calling after them before they go too far. "Little Sugar. You get your ass back here."

I hear a squeak, and I looked towards the doorway, seeing two pairs of red eyes looking back at me. Char stepped up, putting herself slightly in front of Bella. "Peter, this was my fault, not hers."

I just looked at her. "Didn't ask. You go. She'll be 'long in a minute." When Char opened her mouth again, I narrowed my eyes. "Git ta gettin', Charlotte. Don't make me say it again, Woman."

I watched them two lock eyes before Charlotte nodded and, after giving Bella what was probably supposed to be a smile of assurance, she left me and Bella alone, a fact that left a very scared newborn to look back at me. I crooked a finger at her and, after she gulped again, Bella slowly made her way back into the room.

Uncrossing one arm, I pointed to the floor right in front of me, not saying a word until she was right where I wanted her. When she finally reached it, I re-crossed my arms and cocked a brow. "You wanna tell me what really happened, Little Sugar? We don't trip, even when someone sticks a foot out. You upset 'bout somethin', I can feel it. You gonna haveta start talkin' ta me, Dolly. I can't fix what I don't know is wrong."

She crossed her arms and looked down, tapping the tip of her toes into the floor. "I thought you 'just know'."

I nodded. "Yeah, 'bout the really important shit that affects the long term. Not so much the shit that flashes through ya head at any given time. You gotta tell me that shit, Little Sugar. I ain't that mind reader, now."

There was a quiet growl from her at the mention of Edward, but otherwise, she didn't do much. She glared at the floor, refusing to make eye contact. "I'm just... I'm pissed off."

I snorted. "I noticed. Wanna tell me what about?"

She turned her narrowed eyes up at me, but there was no comprehension in them. She had no idea what she was upset about, or at least couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that she was most pissed off about right at the moment. When she dropped her eyes and lifted a shoulder, I sighed and clicked my tongue.

"Ya know, I got a idea that may help ya some, but you prolly ain't gonna like it much."

Her eyes snapped back up to mine, her lip curled. "What?"

I grinned wide and bent at the waist, getting nose to nose with her. "This..."

With no other warning, I grabbed her arm and threw her little ass threw the balcony doors and out into the yard. Darting from my place, I dropped from the broken railing to the grass as she was rolling out of the fall, her teeth bared and eyes black. With that same grin on my face, I crouched, mirroring her position. "You wound up tighter than a ribbon on a oak tree. Come at me, Little Sugar, and let's fix it."

Uncertainty flashed through her eyes, memories of the last time we went at it rearing up and giving her a spook. This wasn't like last time, though, and I had no intention of hurting the girl. I didn't have any intention of doing it the last time, either. Shit like that happens sometimes though, and you just roll through it. I have every intention of calming her ass down, however. If it meant tearing up more of my yard and a few bites, so be it, but at least the shit inside would be safe.

When she hesitated too long, I smirked and flashed forward, catching her from the side with my shoulder and knocking her across the yard. When she recovered this time, she snarled at me, and I just chuckled. "You don't come ta me, I will come ta you. Let's dance, Little Sugar."

It was with a snarled growl she got the point and lunged at me. I pivoted on my toes and took off across the yard, heading for the trees.

Dancing is exactly what we did, too. Leaps, twists, and flips from the ground to the branches, her doing everything she could to get her claws on me, and myself giving her a workout while avoiding her teeth. The sounds she was making, the growls, grunts, and snarls, were music to my ears... and something else.

We can only fight against the inner demon for so long before that fight becomes a losing battle, and your actions aren't so much your own anymore. The more sound effects caressed my ears, the harder it was to both fight back mine and to care to even try.

She was closing in on me and, just when she was about to make that last leap to tackle me from the branches, I turned the tables on her and dropped from the trees to the ground. I looked up and watched her soar over my head, twist in the air, and land hard on her hands and knees. Her eyes were dark and her teeth are exposed. Even though she didn't need it, she was taking in deep, ragged breaths, each exhale a growl. At some point she lost the hair tie that kept it in a tail down her back, so it flew wild around her in the breeze.

It was, hands down, the hottest fucking thing I had ever seen.

And I wasn't the only one that thought so.

I could feel him, just below the surface, waiting for the moment to present itself. I didn't need my gift to tell me what was going to happen, or how to handle it. No, this wasn't on me anymore. This was on him, and he was all but drooling at the prospect of Little Sugar's submission. She was a fiery little bitch, and he had every intention of fanning it into a fucking inferno. He wanted her in every way, and I was nothing but a bystander as he shifted our weight and caught the girl as she dove at us, twisting around and slamming her down on the ground with a snarled growl of his own.

A deep chuckle rumbled my throat as I stayed perched over Bella on the ground below me. If I could, I would roll my eyes at the bastard. All he's gonna do is piss her off, and then there will be biting, and scratching, and... ya know what... G'on. Do the damn thing. I ain't gonna stop ya.

The voice on the air was deeper than she was expecting, the accent thicker, her movements stilling at the sound.

"You gonna need ta do much betta than that, My Little Sugar."

She blinked, the fight in her eyes dying out slightly as she looked up at me. "Peter?"

He chuckled again, lips pulling into a smirk I remember well. "Kinda, but not really."

Confusion took over, and a confused newborn was a dangerous newborn. Son of a bitch. This was gonna hurt somethin' awful, and leave a new mark or two.

I watched, pretty fucking helplessly at that, as confusion melted away to anger, and that anger morph into something much worse when the asshole chuckled at her again.

 _Why you so against lettin 'im out the cage;_ she asked.

 _She belongs ta him, too;_ she said.

Ya know what? Fuck you, Charlotte. This shit right here is why I lock the bastard away, and I fully blame your tiny little ass for what was about to happen.


	16. Chapter 16

**BPOV**

The gauntlet was being brought against my limited ability to control my emotions, and with the way Peter was acting, I wasn't sure what to feel. But, as I looked up at him, everything that has happened since I woke up, every time he walked away from me, every time he spoke down to me, every time he basically did anything welled up and I got mad, then I got pissed, then I got livid. I didn't ask for him to change me, he did that on his own. Now, he wants to act like a fucking caveman like asshole? No, I was done putting up with it and he was going to learn the hard way I wasn't really one to fuck with.

When he chuckled at me again, I bared my teeth at him, a growl in my throat, and drove my knee up as hard as I could between his legs. I wasn't sure if a nut shot would have any effect, but when he jaw clenched and eyes slammed shut before his grip on my wrists loosened, I figured it hurt him as bad as it hurt a human.

Wrenching my wrists free, I shoved him to the side and rolled to my feet, ready for whatever he was going to do in retaliation. I had no idea where I was. He led me into the middle of nowhere, and in circles, so I wasn't sure how to get back to the house. So, in hindsight, kneeing him in the nads was probably not my greatest idea.

Made me feel better though.

Still, I wasn't going to make it as apparent as it was I knew I fucked myself, so instead, I put more bravado into my voice than I really had knowing this guy would absolutely whoop my ass. I even growled a bit when speaking. "Enough! I am not a fucking ragdoll. Stop treating me like one. I asked for this about as much as you did, and in case you haven't noticed, I'M NOT HANDLING THIS WELL! The least you could fucking do is stop proving you're the bigger, badder dog on the yard and actually _help me._ We're both up shit creek without a paddle, so the absolute least we should be doing is making sure we're in the same goddamn canoe."

I listened to his own growl shrouded breathing as he rolled into the fetal position up on his knees with his head dropped onto his forearm, with the other hand between his legs holding his nuts. I could see his teeth flashing in the sun as he bared them at the ground. I knew I was gonna pay for the cheap shot, but at least I knew I got to say my piece before I lost my ability to talk for a while.

Other than his breathing, it was silent for a few more moments before his own growl colored voice sounded into the clearing. "Y'all two need ta fuckin' work on y'alls communication." He then slowly turned his head to look at me, still crouched on the ground. His onyx black eyes had me swallowing a gulp, and when he shook off the last of the pain, I fought against the cringe when he got to his feet.

The cringe, however, would have been justified considering I found myself with a hand around my throat and my back against a tree. I wasn't so much scared, but certainly worried.

His eyes bore into mine and I did gulp this time when he spoke, his free hand pointing a finger in my face. "Ya got issues, you take 'em up with the right one a us, youngen. I ain't gonna give ya another pass." His grip loosened and his eyes, though still black, seemed to soften a bit. "Ya got some anger issues, Little Lady. You might wanna work on those. I really don't wanna hurtcha."

His hand left my neck and, more out of human remembrance than anything, I reached up and rubbed my skin as I watched him take a few steps and bend at the waist, grabbing himself again with a grunt. I licked my lips and let out a breath. "You really aren't Peter, are you?"

I saw him roll his shoulders, and he shrugged. "Kinda, but again, not really." He then looked over at me, and cocked a brow. "Ya don't know shit 'bout me, do ya, Sweetpea?"

What else was I supposed to besides shrug and shake my head. "The basics, I guess. I mean, what really is there to know besides your refusal to be anywhere near me?"

I watch a brow slide smoothly up his forehead to hide behind his bangs. "Beg pardon?" Slowly, he stood to his full height, his black eyes shining in confusion. "Refusal ta be anywhere near ya? Are ya out of ya tiny little mind?"

Scoffing, I jolted. "Excuse me? My mind is not tiny, you mother fu..."

He waved a hand, cutting me off. "Stop. I ain't gonna fight whicha over somethin' so stupid. Now, what the hell makes ya think he don't wanna be near ya?"

I crossed my arms, a light glare on my face. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that every time I walk into a room, you leave. I might a have a tiny mind, but I'm not stupid."

It was his turn to glare, and I gotta be honest, he's better at it. "I said stop it. You don't wanna be pickin' no fights with me, Sweetpea. I ain't gonna have it, ya hear? You got some learnin' ta do 'fore you go makin' them kind a assumptions. You walk inta a room and him leavin' ain't whatcha think it is, and if ya woulda opened ya mouth and asked, someone woulda told ya that."

My hip jetted out and I took the bait. "Then what is it? Because that's how it comes across."

He nodded. "I'm sure, but it ain't." Slowly, he closed the distance he put between us and I backed back up until I hit the tree I was held hostage against in the minutes prior. He put his hands on either side of my head on the trunk and dipped his head until we were nose to nose, his eyes locked on mine. "He leaves the room 'cause he ain't got no idea how to handle what ya do ta him. He allows the stupid fights between y'all because it's easy, familiar... old. He was raised ta know how ta win a fight. He don't know how to deal with new, so he falls back on what he knows, like everyone does, and fights. He don't do it on purpose. He might not even know he doin' it."

I cleared my throat. "You keep saying 'he'."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk as he chuckled. "Caught that, didja? No life he lived was easy. I've been 'round since he was human, though not ta the same extent. When he was human, Peter took a nasty shot ta the head, and it... fractured sumthin'. What the doc said anyway. When he was changed, that fracture expanded, resulted in the two a us being separate but the same. He got some say when I'm caged, but mostly, I take the hard stuff and you, Sweetpea, are one a the hardest thin's he ever dealt with. He tried to keep me locked up, 'fraid I would hurtcha 'cause, lets be honest, you push buttons best left unpushed. What he hadn't gotten through his own head yet is, hurtin' ya is the last thin' I wanna do."

Licking my lips, I let out a breath. "Char said something like that."

He rolled his eyes and snorted. "The betty means well, I'm sure, but she ain't got no place to be sayin' shit 'bout nothin'."

"Peter cares about her."

This time, he snorted harder. "'Cause she comfortable. He knows what ta e'pect with her."

I cocked a brow at him. "And you don't?"

He grinned at me. "Oh, I know the girl inside an' out. Far betta than she want me to. That ain't my point. My point is, she over steppin' herself, and I ain't a fan."

I lowered my eyes for a moment before I looked him back in the eye. "You didn't answer the question."

He cocked a brow. "The fuck I didn't. Ya didn't ask if I cared about her. Ya asked if I knew what ta e'pect with 'er." He didn't make me ask. He went ahead and answered it. "There's only one woman in a million miles a here I care about, and it ain't Charlotte. My carin', my anythin', my everythin'... that's all reserved for you."

Now... what the hell was I supposed to do with that kind of information bomb? Coming up with nothing, I just stared at him, like an idiot with a tiny mind, and gawked, for lack of a better term. It was nearly a foreign concept to hear those words in his voice. But, because he was apparently right about my having a tiny mind, I couldn't stop myself from looking like an idiot. "I don't understand."

I was beginning to wonder if his eyes would always be black, no matter his mood, because he looked at me with such a tenderness, I would have thought they would go back to red. His voice softened no small degree, and he lost whatever hostility that was there previously. "'Cause you a baby, and you ain't really been exposed to anythin' true, anythin' _real_ in this hidden world a ours. It's not as colorful as you been thinkin'. It's pretty fuckin' black an' white honestly. I don't care about anythin', or anyone, 'cept you."

I shook my head. "They why be such a prick? Why not just say that?"

His nose nuzzled softly against mine, and his head tilted slightly to the side. Though he lowered his voice, his words were crystal clear. "I just did."

While I would love to be able to say I had some sort of witty retort, not only would that be a lie, but even if I did, it would have died the moment his lips touched mine. Cheesy, corny, whatever what have you, it was like the planets aligned, angels sang, and demons wept. Honestly never seeing the action coming, I gasped at the action, but in the next moment, my eyes slid closed.

He bit my bottom lip, but made no move to actually deepen the kiss, just gave my lip a tug with his teeth before he pulled back, his still black eyes smoldering. "Let's make this very clear, Sweetpea. You mine, in more ways than you eva gonna know. I don't share, and I don't play games. You got somethin' ta say, from now on, ya say it. Ya don't hold it is so long ya break my shit. It was cute for a while, but I happen ta really like what I got where we goin', and I don't want it trashed 'cause you upset. Ya understand that?"

I just nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry about your dresser... well everything on it anyway. It was mostly an accident. I just meant to break the dresser."

He chuckled as he stood up, shaking his head. "Figured as much. Ya know, I been a youngen myself. I know how ya tick, which is why I'm beggin' ya Sweetpea, you gotta open up a bit here. Meet me halfway at least. The thin's I could teach ya, would make ya head spin. You just gotta let me."

Clasping my hands behind my back, I leaned back against the tree and nodded slightly again. "I'll try, I really will, but this... all of it is so... I don't even know."

It was his turn to nod as he crossed his arms. "I know it. We all gotta learn, Sweet Cheeks. This shit don't come natural. There a curve and ya just gotta ride it out. It does get easier, I promise ya that much. Believe it or not, I am here ta help ya. It's not only my job as yer sire, but my pleasure as yer fella."

I couldn't help it, I smiled. "My fella, huh?"

He shrugged, but his eyes held a smile. "Well, you my lady, so, yeah; yer fella." He then paused a moment, looking off to the side before his nose wrinkled. "We been gone too long. Time to head back."

Nodding, I let him walk past me and, with a giggle, I lept up and attached myself to his back, much to his amusement. Still, he hooked his arms under my thighs, and I laid the side on my head on my forearm around his neck, looking at the side of his head. "So, I have a question." He didn't turn to look at me, but he did cock a brow, so I asked. "The voices? Do you hear them, too?"

He shook his head. "Nope, don't need 'em. I'm a act first, ask questions later kinda fella. I don't need ta know what's comin', cause I'll handle it my own way like I always do. Peter the planner. He hears 'em so he can figure out what the best way to survive is. I know I'ma survive, so I don't give a fuck what 'round the corner."

I hummed in my throat. "So, you two are completely separate? Or... how does it work?"

He grunted slightly before he answered. "It kinda complicated. We always know what goin' on, like bein' a bystander ta our own actions, but neither a us can interfere with the other. When he's in charge a thin's, I can watch, waiting ta see if I'm needed, and if I am, I don't have the memories a seein' it play out. The knowledge is just kinda there. Like, right now, I'm sure he cussin' me up one side and down the other, but there ain't nothing he can do 'till I back off and he comes back. When he does, he won't be able to remember how any a this happened, just have the knowledge it did. We each have our own memories the other ain't got, but we both have access ta the knowledge a the other."

My nose wrinkled. "Yeah, complicated seems like an understatement."

He just shrugged. "It hard ta explain, but we don't know no different. It just how it is."

Picking my head up, I blinked. "So, you're like Jasper then?" This time his eyes did cut to me, and I was quick to elaborate because he didn't look happy with the comparison. "The split personality thing, like Jasper and... um... oh what did he call him?"

He answered that. "The Major?" I nodded with a 'that's it', to which he snorted and rolled his eyes. "So, that's what he goin' with these days, is it? I'm here ta tell ya, there ain't no one quite like my sire, but he ain't got no second personality. He just an emotionless asshole that likes ta blame others for his own short comin's. Let me e'plan this to ya. Our 'gifts' ain't that. They a curse, brought on by whatever issues we had as a human. Peter got me cause his mind was fucked like it was. When it comes ta Jasper, he the definition of sociopath. He an empath now cause he didn't have no emotions back then. He ain't got the ability ta feel without it. He learned how to react like he supposta over the years, but that's all it is; an act. How you think it was so easy for him to call Peter up and send him straight to the lions like he did? He don't actually care if we live or die, just so long as he survives. Which is why, when I get my hands 'round his neck, I'ma rip his fuckin' head off."

Unable to help it, I frowned. "Can you really just... stop caring about someone, just like that?"

He shook his head. "It ain't 'just like that', Sweetpea. This been a long time comin'. Jasper burnt a bridge the day he called Peter and asked what he did. Sure, Peter did it in the past with no issue, but this time, it different. Maybe it wouldn't a been had there not been the run in with the Italians, but that ain't the case. Yeah, I can sever a long tied knot like I'm doin', and not care in the slightest."

My frown deepened, but I chose to change the subject. "So, since you know everything Peter does, you know what he's planning."

This time, he chuckled. "Nice try, Little Lady, but I ain't takin' that bait. You'll likely be dealing with him more than for me, at least for now, so if he wantcha ta know sumthin', he'll be the one ta tell ya."

Pouting, I huffed and dropped my chin back onto my arm. "Fine, be that way."

He stopped and turned his head, his eyes shining and a smirk on his lips. "Naw, don't be like that, Sweetpea. When he ready ta tell ya, he will. You just gotta have a little faith in the man."

My face flattened. "It's not exactly a secret that we haven't been getting along."

Not exactly sure how it happened, but I went to hanging off his back to facing him, his hands now clasped under my ass, and his nose an inch from mine. I was getting used to the black eyes, so that was a plus, but they didn't match his voice. I was so used to equating black eyes to anger or hunger, but as far as I knew, he wasn't either.

His voice was soft when he spoke. "That'll change, Sweetpea. Ya got my word on that. Be patient, and it'll happen." When I said 'you sound so sure', he responded in kind. "I'ma make sure a it. Make no mistakes here, y'all gonna be gettin' on the same damn page, whether ya like it or not."

 **CapPOV**

This baby needed to eat, or shit was gonna hit the fan sooner rather than later. After spending the better part of the walk back to the house smoothing things over with the girl, I wasn't about to let something as ridiculous as hunger undo it all.

Breaking the tree line, Bella was skipping a few feet in front of me, the calmest she had been basically since I learned she existed. It was absolutely fucking adorable. I kept the few feet separation across the yard, but when Charlotte stepped outside, I narrowed my eyes. She had shit she was supposed to be doing, and if she was here, she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Didn't matter. I wanted a word with her before she scampered off anyhow.

When Bella stopped to talk to her, I spoke up. "G'on through the house and wait for me in the truck. It time ta go, Sweetpea." Though she looked at me with a cocked brow, I just jetted my chin toward the door and waited. It took a moment, but Bella nodded and went inside, though she moved slower through the house than necessary so she could hear what was about to happen.

I just rolled my eyes before turning them on Char. "You ever, and I damn well mean _ever,_ overstep yaself like ya did again, and I'll take ya ability to talk. This shit ain't got shit ta do with you, and I'll be good and God damned if I'ma let ya try and make it."

The tiny blonde jolted, blinking repeatedly. Finally, she gained control of her tongue. "I was only tyin'a help. I didn't mean..."

I narrowed my eyes. "Can it, Woman." When her jaw clamped shut with a click, I continued. "I don't rightly give a fuck what you was tryin'a do. The fact remains it ain't got shit ta do witcha. If this is gonna happen, it gotta happen on it's own, and your interferein' ain't gonna be tolerated. We've had some great times, you an' I, but them great times gone and no memories gonna save ya ass if ya don't stay out a my fuckin' business. Ya get me?"

Though her eyes held hurt, she nodded in a subdued manner. "I get ya, Captain." She then swallowed and cleared her throat. "Ya want me ta leave?"

I snorted again. "I wantcha ta do your damn job and find that fuckin' tracker. He the only thin' I ain't got a solution for, and the faster he out the equation, the better." Though I lightened up a bit, my voice still booked no arguments. "We always gonna be friends, Char. Our lives too entwined for us not ta be. So long you don't pull the same shit the Major done, you ain't got nothin' ta worry 'bout. But, that dolly out front my lady, and she off limits. Y'all wanna gossip like betties at the salon, be my fuckin' guest, but you leave certain topics the hell alone."

Again she nodded with a lick of her lips. "Understood."

I gave a jerky nod. "Good. Keep me informed and let me know when and where you find the tracker. You hear from the Major like I'm pretty sure you gonna, you know what ta do."

She nodded again. "Sure do."

I waved a hand. "Off ya go, then." And she was gone, leaving me to deal with one last thing.

Walking into the house, I locked the back door, set the code, and made my way through the halls, locking shit up on my way past it. When I passed the mirror in the hall, I paused and looked at my reflection. After a moment, I turned to face it fully, set my hands on the table that was under it, and looked myself in my black eyes. "I know ya can hear me in there, so listen up real good, now. I smoothed shit over with our lady, so don't go fuckin' it up again. She a baby, and she gonna test and push like all babies prone ta doin'. You the adult in this situation. I suggest ya start actin' like it and help that betty. If ya don't, I will and you ain't gonna like it. She confused as all hell, and that's on you. Knock it off willin'ly, or I'll make ya."

I stared in my own eyes a moment longer before turning away, grabbing the duffle bag that was on the floor in the front entrance, turned on the alarm, and left the house, closing and locking the door behind me. Looking to the truck, I saw my lady sitting in the front seat, playing with her hair. She almost looked content if one didn't know better. She was fidgeting because of the enclosed space.

Throwing the back in the bed, I opened the door, climbed in, and started the truck once I was settled. Looking at her, I pursed my lips. She needed to feed, and soon, or we were looking at a whole mess of trouble. Putting the truck into reverse, I threw my arm over the back of the seat and floored it, spinning the vehicle around before switching gears and peeled out of the drive, the gates closing once we were through them.

Glancing at Bella, I regarded the color of her eyes and gauged how long I had. I figured a couple of hours, which would get us far away from larger cities and into smaller, more controlled environments.

Reaching across the seat, I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into my side. Looking down at her, I smirked. "Settle in, Sweetpea. Once we out the city, I'll getcha fed. For now, try an' relax. Small spaces ain't the greatest, but you'll get used to it."

She turned her eyes up to me, a drawn look on her face, and nodded with a hard sigh. "I'm trying. I just haven't been in a car yet."

I nodded to her. "I know it. If it gets ta be too much, let me know. For now, enjoy the scenery, and we'll get where we goin' 'fore ya know it."


	17. Chapter 17

**I am a very busy fail, so forgive the lateness in which you are getting this update.**

 **Enjoy**

Who in the hell, in their right mind, gets jealous of them self? I don't know the answer to that, but here I am, near boiling in it. The Captain is an asshole, and here is he is, proving once again that he's completely unpredictable. I wouldn't have thought he would handle Bella with the grace he was, but color me fucking surprised.

For the five hours we switched places, it was an experience I wouldn't forget. He was both tentative and caring, answering whatever was asked, regardless of the fucked up answer. I could have easily done the same, but I wasn't sure she was actually ready to hear more about how wrong she was about what she thought. Maybe it was his blunt and to the pointness. He didn't cut corners and didn't leave anything out when he was answering her. Her betrayal grew by the word, and I had wanted to spare her that soon after everything else that came to light, but this mother fucker...

When he stopped to feed her, since it was her first time out to do it, he hand fed her, holding the struggling body still until she had her fill, snapping necks and disposing of the dead bodies. When I was brought back up, the way he answered her questions changed, going from information for her to underhanded jabs and subtle threats for me. Wasn't sure exactly how he planned to follow through with some of them, but he was nothing if not resourceful enough to figure it out. He didn't relinquish control until after he himself fed and they were on their way again.

It's always an experience when it happens to, complete with a migraine that lasts about fifteen minutes as our minds also trade places and information is stored and shifted from outsider to insider. Bella was still tucked under my arm when I winced and put the tips of my fingers between my eyes with a quiet groan. Even if there was some sort of warning he was giving up control, I don't think there would ever be a way to be prepared for it.

Steering the truck with my knee, I ran the hand that wasn't around my lady down my face and rubbed my eyes. Blinking a few times to clear my vision, I shook my head and put my hand back on the wheel, flipping on my blinker and pulling off to the side of the highway. I knew the real pain hadn't started and I didn't want to wreck my truck when it did.

No sooner did I have my truck in park did the feeling of my head getting ripped apart start, and it came with what it always did; growls and snarls filled the cab and if I hadn't know it was coming, I would have broke the steering wheel.

Bella sat on the bench seat, watching it happen, with a look of near horror on her face. This doesn't happen to the Captain, which is fucked up on its own, but it's probably because he acts more on instinct than rational thought, and he comes out when thoughts are gone and instinct is all that's left.

She didn't move or speak until the growls and snarls died down to heavy breathing and pants. "Are you okay?"

Though I didn't open my eyes yet, I nodded. "Peachy, Little Sugar. I just need a minute." Taking two, I finally opened my eyes and looked her direction. She had herself hauled up on the seat, tucked against the door, her eyes wide. "Happens every time, so I'm sure you see it again. Don't worry 'bout it, 'kay?"

She was silent for a long moment, her eyes narrowing slightly before a small smile graced her lips. "You're you again, aren't you?"

I grinned back. "Yeah, Little Sugar. I'm me again. Howdja know?"

Changing the way she was sitting, she pointed at me. "Your eyes. They're red, and his were always really black. That, and he doesn't call me Little Sugar, which is another thing."

I snorted and got ready to drive again. I overlooked the nick name change. What he called her wasn't really important. "Fucker always pissed, so unless he in his happy place on the battlefield, his eyes always black."

She hummed as I pulled back into the highway, her head tilted slightly to the side. "He didn't seem that bad to me. He was actually pretty mellow, honestly."

I nodded as I laid on the gas. "Only cause it was you he was dealin' with. I've been dealin' with 'im for a lotta years, Little Sugar, and he hardly ever that nice. You different though, and ya know it."

She hummed again. "So he said. You know, he said some other things, too."

I chuckled, a smirk pulling at my lips. "Did he, now? And," reaching over without looking, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her across the bench seat and tucked her back under my arm. "What he say?"

She shifted her position, lying on my side with her feet on the seat by the door, and played with the finger on my hand that was on her stomach. "Oh, just some things about some stuff."

I hummed. "Thin's and stuff, huh?"

She decides to keep playing her little game, and I let her. "Yup. We talked about where he came from and a bit about Jasper. He showed me how to lure food out of view of the general population. Basic things really."

I clicked my tongue. "That all, huh? Just the basics? That don't sound like him."

"Well, there was this other thing about forcing us to be on the page."

I snorted. "That... Sounds like him. He don't beat 'round the bush often."

It was her turn to snort. "Understatement. But, it was good he didn't. My attention span doesn't really allow for it, does it?"

The corners of my mouth turned down, but it it wasn't a frown. It was more a look of thought, and I took a moment to really consider the difference in the way I treated the girl versus how he did. He seemed to get farther in the few hours he spent with her than I have since the day I met her. Maybe, there was something to it. It has been quite awhile since I dealt with a newborn, and even longer since I sired one. There was a vested interest in this particular baby, so that could account for the out of character treatment and the way I've been handling her. I hadn't wanted to treat her like I've treated newborns in the past, but considering that's exactly what she was, maybe it was the better route to take.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I cocked my head to the side. "I suppose not. Seems just what you need, Little Sugar."

There was a moment of silence, followed by Bella shifting her weight. When I glanced down at her, she had her nose wrinkled and her eyes her slanted slightly. Her voice was slightly uncertain, and more quiet than normal. "Maybe, but... I didn't really like it. I mean, I got more out of him in last few hours than I have out of you in the last few days, but the way he went about it wasn't really any better." She then shifted, tilting her head back to look up at me, her red eyes nearly begging for a specific answer. "Isn't there like... a medium between you two? A happy place where it's dictation but not so vague either?"

I actually took the time to really think her question before nodding. "I'm sure there is. I ain't gonna lie ta ya, Little Sugar. You got a asshole for a sire, and one that ain't been one is a lotta years. My last stent with a baby was long 'fore you was even born. Also, ain't a single one a my babies even alive anymore."

"What about Charlotte?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "I ain't Charlotte's daddy, Jasper is."

Bella sat up, turning to look at me with a weird look on her face. "You have a very odd way of talking about vampire lineage. Knowing that Carlisle sired Esme, and they are married, to hear you refer to that connection as parents and kids it's... strange. Then, there was what happened in the woods with your other half. I have a daddy, and I can't say I would ever want that kind of attention from him. As a matter of fact, I can say with absolute certainty, I wouldn't."

Glancing at her from the corner of my eye, I grinned. "Don't make it any less true, Little Sugar. Sire and childe is the same damn thin' as daddy and baby. That their literal translation. You can not like it, but it still true. That said, and aside, I didn't make Charlotte what she is. That was Jasper, same as me. You wanna talk 'bout our lineage, I'll blow ya mind. You really wanna walk that road right now?"

She shook her head. "Not really, no. But... can I ask you something, about Jasper?"

Lifting a shoulder as I switched lanes, I nodded. "Shoot."

She pulled her feet up on the seat and wrapped her arms around her shins. "The Captain, I guess he's called, told me something about him, and the way he is. Can he really not feel emotions without his empathy?"

I scratched my brow, then shook my head. "The short answer is no, he can't. Jasper... he a whole different level a fucked. He don't know what it actually feel like to care 'bout no one. He don't have that ability. He got this... way 'bout himself that makes that really hard to notice. He learned a lot in the last couple centuries, like how to fake shit. He learned ta mimic, but that all he can do. He don't care 'bout anyone, though, not really. Why you think he could call Charlotte so easy to tell her I was dead, knowing the connection the two a us have?"

I saw her shrug, her bottom lip being pulled between her teeth. She took her time before asking her next question. "And none of them know he doesn't actually care? That he would sell them all out?"

I snorted, really without thought. "Ain't a one a 'em wouldn't do the same, Little Sugar. We vampires, we don't care, normally, ''bout anyone but our mates. Sure, we can spend years together, travel around, fuck and shit, but at anytime, walk away and move on ta the next time consumin' activity. There ain't eva really anythin' that any other one a us can count on another for. It just the way we work. We more inta solidarity than anythin'. Most a us just want ta be left alone and do our thin'. Few a us band inta lastin' covens outside venom-lines. Them Cullens, cause a their diet, don't have a lot a the senses and shit the rest a us have. It's like how I feel pain and they don't."

There was a hum. "I sort of remember that conversation." There was a beat of a pause. "What happened to you?"

THAT got my attention. Actually turning to look at her, I cocked a brow. "Whatcha mean, what happened ta me?"

She waved her hand at me. "He explained the way the extra abilities some vampire have come from, and he told me you got hit in the head as a human, which was where he came from. What happened?"

My lip curled. "I don't fuckin' know. I don't know a lot a my human life. He said that how it happened, I ain't in the position ta deny it. He know a lot more about it than I do. If I knew though, I would tell ya."

"But he said you two share memories."

I shook my head. "That ain't want he said. He said we got our own memories, we just got the knowledge a what happens, not how it happens. I don't know what he does when he does it. He got his own memories, and I don't eva wanna recall the shit he done. Knowin' more than enough; trust me. The explanation a this ain't all that great, I'll give ya that. Howeva, all you need ta know is there a difference between us, and which one you dealin' with. We both got different lines in the sand, you gonna wanna pay attention so ya don't cross 'em."

 **BPOV**

As I listened to Peter talk, all I could so really was nod. I mean, what do you say to that? I caught the jist of what he was saying, and I understood there were basically two completely different people within his head, which was fine. I didn't care. It was who he was, and that was that. Besides, he did try to explain it as best he could, but that shit was confusing as fuck.

I was so lost in thought, I didn't hear Peter say my name, so I jumped a bit when I felt his hand on my thigh. Blinking, I looked over at him. "What?"

His face was indulgent, and his voice was amused. "You ight?"

Smiling slightly, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

He grinned and looked back to the road. "'Bout what?"

I wasn't sure I was really ready to have this conversation, but it was gonna have to be had eventually, and things were going well enough, I felt like we could talk about it. "So, it's kinda about some things he said, and something you did just a few minutes ago." I looked at him, and he just nodded, waiting for me to get my shit together.

It took me a minute to figure out how to phrase it, but when I realized there was no easy way to breach it, I jumped in the deep end. "When he says something... kinda life changing in a way... does it affect you both? Or just him?"

He looked over at me, his brow cocked. "You gonna need ta be a little more specific than that, Little Sugar."

I could see it in the asshole's eyes he clearly knew exactly what I was talking about. He was just going to make me say, the bastard. I pursed my lips and shifted slightly in my seat. Damn I was uncomfortable with this. I cleared my throat, and let out a breath. "He said I was his lady..."

I trailed off and his face didn't change. "I ain't understandin' the confusion."

I bit my lip, and sighed again. "Well, it was him that said it."

Confusion settled on his features. "And?"

I glared at him. I couldn't help it. "And, I don't know how that works. There are two of you."

It took a minute, but it was like a light bulb went off in his head. "Ah, I gotcha. Ya think it only goes for one a us, not the both a us; that right?" I shrugged and he chuckled. "Make no mistake, Little Sugar. You mine, as much as you his."


	18. Chapter 18

**So, real quick to apologize for the vanishing act... It's been a rough and busy few of months. I'm not getting into the details of the horror that was the summer, but I am back, I am writing, so it shouldn't be six months before the next update.**

 **~Speklez**

 **PPOV**

I cannot remember a time it was such a pain in the ass to get from point A to point B. I know I shouldn't, and I know it ain't fair to Bella, but I can't help but compare her analytic way of questioning every fucking thing to Charlotte's more laid back, go with the flow sort of traveling. I could understand it, though. Bella didn't have a lot to fall back on when it came to trusting me, and we've been fighting like cats and dogs since we met in that dungeon. I could absolutely understand why she questioned everything.

But fuck was it annoying.

I can only answer the same question so many times before the answer changes into something sarcastic and smartassy, and sarcastic and smartassy answers from me get pissy comments from her, and God damn it, we're fighting again. It was such a vicious cycle I had half a mind to literally chain her ass up in my basement, but then that would turn arguments into actual physical altercations, and we didn't need that shit on top of everything else.

It had been a hope of mine to attempt to make her more comfortable by taking her back to the states, but all it seemed to do was make her even more antsy, and what was a compromise turned into another argument over whether or not she could go back to Washington and pay her respects to those that died, in her mind, because of her, and I had to tell her no because that would almost be walking dead smack into the middle of a trap.

It was yet another thing in the long list of issues that stemmed from her lack of trust, and if that shit didn't get fixed, we would lose, and I didn't have any desire to die.

Sitting on the back porch with a bottle of Jack and a pack of smokes, I glanced at my phone when it rang, my lip curling. I knew who it was even without the caller ID, but I was in such a pissy mood, I didn't want to talk to anyone. But, not knowing exactly what she wanted, I sighed and picked it up. "You betta have some good news, Char, or I'm hangin' up."

She actually sounded worried. " _You two still ain't gettin' on?"_

Rubbing a finger between my closed eyes, a quiet growl slipped past my lips. "I don't remember even your ass being this difficult as a baby."

It was then she chuckled. " _Oh, I'm positive I was. Ya gotta remember, Peter, it was a different time, different place, and different circumstances. Different strokes, ya know? 'Sides that, I've had 150 years ta get used ta ya. She's had what? 150 hours with really shitty prior experience dealin' with ya beforehand? You gotta realize you out of practice with babies and she ain't no soldier in Maria's war. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture, Sugar. This ain't about just a endgame, cause you two don't start workin' tagether, this ain't somethin' you can win."_

I growled again. "She don't listen."

She snorted. " _Course she don't listen. She's a newborn and she don't trust ya. But, what have ya done ta show her she can?"_

After remaining silent for a moment, I grunted. "I hate you, Charlotte"

She giggled. " _No ya don't, and certainly not after I tell ya I found the tracker."_

Sitting up straighter in my chair, I cocked my head. "Where?"

She cleared her throat. " _Canada."_

I jolted slightly at that. "You fuckin' with me, right?"

" _Wish I was. Looks like they systematically makin' they way through all properties attached to the name 'Whitlock' cause they just as likely ta be yours as they are ta bein' Jasper's, I suppose."_

One of my brows rose. "They? How many is they?"

" _Six so far as I've counted. Hard tellin' honestly cause they don't get no closer ta the house than needed to pick up a scent 'fore they move on. Jasper got two houses in this province, and they done already been ta both."_ She paused for a moment before she continued, though much quieter than before. _He's fast, Peter, and he don't leave no scent. It blends completely in ta his surroundings."_

And he was closing in... smart little bastard.

Stubbing out my cigarette, I then ran my fingers through my hair. "I think, Darlin', it's time to make some calls."

" _You think they gonna believe me?"_

I shrugged as I stood up. "Pretty sure they gonna believe me. You just keep a eye on that tracker, ya hear?"

" _Will do."_

Hanging up with Char, I sighed as I slipped my phone into my pocket. Before I could call anyone, I had to have a little chat with Bella, and I wasn't overly confident in our current ability to talk without a fight.

 **BPOV**

Stretched out on the couch, I was laying on my stomach and staring out the window when Peter walked into the room. Though my eyes moved to look at him, I made no move to leave. I was comfortable and he was just going to have to deal with me being in the same room as him for once.

In the last couple of days, everything has ended in a fight, and I was hoping if I made myself scarce, a day could pass in relative peace between us, but when he took a seat on the coffee table by my head, my lips pressed together. I didn't like the look on his face, and something in my gut told me I was going to like was about to come out of his mouth even less.

When he said nothing and just continued to sit there, my brows crinkled and I slowly sat up, his position changing slightly to accommodate my legs between his. Brows still drawn down and lips pulled into a small frown, I ducked my head and looked at his eyes. "You okay?"

He face turned thoughtfully cautious, and he ran his fingers over his lips before he leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs, and laced his fingers together, his hands resting on my knees. I didn't want to admit how nice the contact was, but I wasn't able to react to it before he spoke, his voice low and even.

"We gotta talk, Little Sugar, and I'ma need ya ta listen and not pick a fight."

For whatever reason, those words actually brought me up a little short. Have our conversations become so predictable, that an argument is inevitable, that something like that has to be said prior to interaction? I wasn't convinced I was the only one that picked a fight, but even still, I nodded and waited to find out what seemed to be really important.

He didn't look convinced, but still, he sighed. "I'm tryin', very hard, not ta raise ya the way I know how ta raise newborns. Ya don't wanna be raised that way, and I don't wanna raise ya that way."

Not really thinking about it, I cut in. "I'm an adult, Peter. I don't need to be raised."

His face flattened. "You a baby, and ya absolutely do. From my seat, the issue we have is you seem ta be havin' a real hard time realizin' you ain't a human no more, Little Sugar, and that's not even me bein' a asshole. It's the truth a it, and you doin' your damnedest ta fight not only me, but yaself at the same time. I ain't askin' ya ta like it. Ain't a single newborn do. My point, Bella, is you ain't hurtin' me by actin' out like ya do. Ya hurtin' yaself and ya don't realize it, 'cause you a baby. You a strong willed little bitch, and that ain't a bad thing. What is, is that you fightin' the wrong person for the wrong reasons."

Being very careful about my tone, because that was all kinds of offensive, I let out a hard breath from my nose, and tried to be as calm as I could. "I know very well what I am now, thank you. Human or vampire, however, I am still an adult. Half our problems could be fixed if you stopped treating me otherwise. Like, do you think I enjoy being talked down to like you so love to do?"

His head tilted to the side, and a brow rose. "You a adult in this life, are ya? Ya really think your ass can survive on ya own without any help, huh? Ya know everythin' there is ta know about this world? 'Ight. Then do it. Getcha own meals, dispose a 'em, defend ya own ass when needed, and don't be takin' up a place behind me when ya scared. Oh... and get the hell out my house since you this big, bad, know it all adult that don't need no guidance."

I didn't know how to do any of that... and he knew it.

When I remained silent, he sighed and his face softened slightly. "I ain't talkin' down ta ya ta piss ya off, Little Sugar. Honestly, I ain't even talkin' down ta ya at all. It seems that way cause what I'm tellin' ya is somethin' ya heard before, but you was told wrong, and I'm now lookin' like a bad guy tryin'a right that wrong. You wanna be treated like a adult, yet you actin' like a child, leavin' me no choice but ta treat ya like one; and that ain't ya fault, cause you a child. Ya kinda see where this goin' Little Sugar? We can debate till the cows come home 'bout ya claim a bein' an adult in human terms, but in vampire, the terms that matta, you ain't, and that a demon you gonna have ta come ta terms with on ya own."

My rebuttal died on my tongue halfway through his little speech. It was really hard to argue his fucking logic, the prick. I knew I wasn't making things easy, and a part of me knew I was doing it because I resented the situation, but that wasn't really fair. He was right when he said I was fighting the wrong person for the wrong reasons. He didn't even have anything to do really with what I was holding against him. He wasn't the one that dragged me into this. If anything, I was the one that dragged him into it, even though I'm not the one that sent him to what was thought to be his death.

Looking down, I bit the inside corner of my bottom lip. Crossing my arms after a moment, I leaned back, my eyes flicking up and catching his again. "I don't know how. It's... easier to fight with you."

He nodded. "I know it. I told ya before, Little Sugar. I'll take ya anger. I rightly deserve it. I bit ya. I can handle what I earned just fine. What I can't handle is constantly bein' blamed for what I didn't have no part in. That shit just gonna piss me off."

Tapping a finger against my arm, I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. "I'll try. That's the best I got."

There was a grin on his lips as he stood up. "I'll take it." Then he reached back down, grabbed my wrists and pulled me to my feet. "Now, we got work ta do. Ya ain't gonna like... you gonna hate this shit."

Looking up through my lashes, my lip curled. "What... work?"

He grinned in a way I wasn't sure if it was sexy or horrifying. There was a darkness to his eyes I recognized from Spain, and when his voice changed, deepened, I knew I was dealing with whole different level of fucked up.

"I'm gonna to kick ya ass, while teaching you how to kick mine."

A shiver danced down my spine, but again, I wasn't sure how to define it. However, Peter once again proved to be telling the truth. I was about to hate my life, and the way his grip tightened on my wrists, told me he was going to enjoy it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay guys...**

 **I was really wanting to make this super long to make up with the super long wait, but unfortunately, this is whatcha get right now, because there wasn't a good way to continue to the chapter.**

 **That being said... should the muse allow it, this story won't go back on an uncertain hiatus, because I'm kinda on a writing roll right now. There is part of the next chapter written, and since I updated two other stories today, thought I would give you a third *winks***

 **See ya next story!**

 **~Speklez**

 **3rd POV**

Were she still human, that last hit would have broken every bone in her body, she was sure of it. Bella hit the ground so fucking hard, she actually had to peel herself out of a Bella shaped hole in the ground. And what was that son of a bitch doing? Glaring at her like she did something fucked up.

Bella had enough wits about to her to stay down though, for once, and just rubbed the back of her head. "I really wish we couldn't actually feel pain like I was told. That shit _hurt_."

There was a hard snort from across the yard as the Captain crossed his arms. "Who told ya that? We got nerves, Sweetpea. Odd you don't know that with the way you sniff 'em out like a hog huntin' acorns. Sure, they harder ta agitate, but they there." He paused for a beat before his eyes narrowed. "You still thinkin' 'bout them Cullens, ain'thca?"

She really wanted to glare, but was in so much fucking pain in that moment, it was little more than a pathetic attempt to look angry. "Not intentionally, but you have to underst..." in trying to roll her shoulder, something snapped, and it make her completely unneeded breath catch in her throat and cut her off mid-word. If she could throw up from pain, Bella was positive it would have just happened. She couldn't even scream as her eyes slammed shut.

A whimper slipped past her lips, and when she reopened her eyes, Peter was right in front of her, crouched over her legs with a contemplative look on his face. Neither one of them said anything, just looking at the other; him possibly waiting for her to finish her sentence, and Bella nearly unable to dislodge the lump in her throat.

In the end, Bella ended up winning the staring contest, but overall, she absolutely lost the war.

He set a hand on her shoulder and gave it squeeze, that scream that was choking Bella a moment ago making it's great escape when he relocated her dislocated shoulder from that very hard and totally graceful landing. It left her ears ringing, but he didn't even flinch. He just rolled her shoulder again to make sure it stayed in its socket, and when it did, he looked at her with a much softer expression on his features.

His voice was softer than when he spoke to her before. "You gotta let 'em go, Sweatpea. They ain't shit. Don't know how many times ya need ta be told that."

Bella shook her head as shit licked her lips. "I'm not holding on to them. What I was going to say is, you have to understand, everything I learned, I've learned from them. I spent a lot of time only knowing what they told me, and it's not as easy to just... forget all of it."

Peter's hands draped over his thighs and his head tilted to this side. "I ain't askin' ya ta forget. If ya haven't yet, ya ain't gonna. Might be betta if ya don't, cause that shit'll come in mighty handy when it comes time ta stare 'em in the eyes. But, fer right now, I'm beggin' ya', Sweet Pea, ta stop focusin' on it. It ain't gonna help ya when none a it true, and the more ya focus on what they said, the less what I'm sayin' gonna sink in. I ain't tryin'a actually hurtcha now, but damn it, Woman, you ain't given me much choice here. If I literally gotta beat what I'm sayin' inta ya skull, I'ma do it. We ain't got the time fer you ta be fuckin' 'round like this."

He paused then, his head tilting to the side as he laced his fingers together between his knees. "I'ma make ya a deal, Little Lady. I'll spend the rest a eternity makin' all this bullshit up ta ya, if, in the meantime, ya let me do my damn job. It ain't always gonna be pretty, and you ain't gonna like it, but if ya don't, we both gonna die. We facin' fucked up odds, and I'll die tryin' ta protect ya. Once I'm gone though, your little ass won't stand a chance. This shit serious, and you gotta start actin' like ya understand that."

Threading her fingers into her hair, Bella scratched the back of her head. "I do understand that. I'm not..." looking him in the eyes, "trying to be difficult." Biting into her bottom lip, she tried to make things a little less tense. "I mean, look at the positive here; it took you a full minute to get me on my back this time. That's progress, right?"

The expression that slid onto his features told her he was in no way impressed. His deadpanned voice backed it up, too. "Not when you spendin' more time on ya back than a high volume whore."

Bella's nose wrinkled at the comparison. "Well... when you put it like that." Dropping back into her hole in the ground, she frowned at the sky. "I swear, Peter, I'm trying." Shifting her eyes back to him, she then sighed. "This is hard for me, but I am. I've just... I've never been very good at hands on learning."

Peter ran his tongue across his teeth, contemplation entering his eyes. He remained silent for a long moment, and when he did finally enlighten his little lady to his thoughts, it was with a different tone. "Whatcha gotta do, is stop thinkin' so damn much. When it comes ta a fight, the winner ain't the one that thought shit through. The winner the one that still standin'. But, other than the fact I know whatcha gonna do 'fore ya do it, the problem I see you havin' is over thinkin', and while you tryin'a figure out what I'm gonna do and whatcha gonna do to counter it, I already done it and you already on ya back. When you got them few licks in the other day, ya got 'em cause you wasn't thinkin', you was just actin'. Fightin' is all about instinct, Sweet Pea. Get mad. Get pissed off. Just stop thinkin'. You ain't gonna do shit ta me I ain't had done ta me already." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "trust me."

Bella sat with that for a minute. Getting pissed off at Peter was pretty close to second nature, but that was over stupid shit. It was releasing some steam because he let her, but none of those spats were ever life or death. It wasn't a learning moment. It wasn't anything but just... having a hissy fit, really.

Sighing hard, Bella frowned. "I thought you weren't a mind reader. How the hell would you know what I'm going to do before I do it?"

His head tilted to the side. "Newborns... they a predictable bunch. I'm gonna make this clear, Little Lady, I been in too many fights with babies ta be all that surprised by one."

Bella frowned hard as she looked back up at the sky. "I wouldn't have lasted very long where you came from, would've I?"

Peter snorted so hard, were he human, Bella would have gotten covered in snot. "Understatement, Sweet Pea. You'da been dead in a day. Not cause you ain't pickin' shit up, but cause you makin' me look bad cause you ain't pickin' shit up." Unlacing his fingers, he reached across his throat, scratching at the back of his jaw with his thumb, he hummed. He had been trying to make things less instinctual and more intentional, but she was his kid, so when push came to shove, he was positive she would do fine in an actual brawl. Hell, she already proved that once when she got nine kinds of pissed off two days after she woke up.

For the last couple of hours though, nothing happened that would have made her fear for her life, unlike training sessions in the past where the loser actually died. Since that wasn't the case here, there wasn't a certain fire under her ass, and until there was, her overly analytical mind would continually get in her way. He also hadn't pushed her temper, so really, he was much to blame as she was.

With that in mind, he reached out, grabbed her wrists, and pulled her with him to stand. Once they were on their feet, he set his hands on Bella's hips, and looked into her eyes. "Ight, this becomin' a waste a time, and time just 'bout the only thin' we ain't got. I got somethin' I gotta do right quick, so why dontcha g'on inside and do whateva it is ya'll womenfolk do and I'll be 'long in a bit."


	20. Chapter 20

_Womenfolk..._

The word bounced around the emotionally unstable newborn's mind for, what to her, felt like forever, but in reality, it was an inconceivable passing of time.

 _Womenfolk..._

Her actions had no thought in them when her arm cocked back and shot forward, making a solid connection with Peter's mouth. His light hold on her hips vanished and the snarled growl slipped past her lips at the same time the male's body landed several feet away.

Peter, sprawled out on his back, looked up at the sky. It certainly wasn't the first time he had ever been punched in the mouth, but it _had_ been a very long time since someone landed such a solid blow. Maybe he was more out of practice with newborns than he gave credit for. He didn't recall them being that fast with him that close, his own instincts sharpened to a razor point, making it all but impossible for them to do what popped into their head.

As he ran the heel of his hand over his bottom lip, he grunted. "Didn't mean it as a insult, Sugar." Pushing himself to his elbows, his amused eyes locking on Bella's pissed off ones. When he realized she was aiming to fight, he grinned wide. "'Ight, Baby Doll... let's dance."

She didn't give him the opportunity to get all the way to his feet before she lunged, her shoulder jamming into his stomach and taking him back to the ground. Recent memory being what it was, Bella was positive she just made a huge mistake, but those recent memories lended themselves to her in a way to know what to do to avoid his getting his arms around her like he did the last time.

Twisting away, she got out of his reach, bearly, and rolled to the balls of her feet and fingertips, Peter doing the same. Her teeth were bared, and his gleamed behind a lip parting smirk.

When the two bodies collided, the sound was deafening.

Bella's strength once again gave her the upper hand, but unlike last time, she didn't try and figure out what to do, she just did it. With her fingertips dug into the stone flesh of Peter's arm, she planted her foot, wrenched her body at the hips, and _flung_ the Southern Captain of legend across the yard where he unceremoniously slammed into a tree.

Breathing in pants, Bella bellowed across the space between them. "How's that for what us womenfolk do, Cocksucker?"

The Captain, as he looked at her from his position on his knees and palms, grinned wide at her. "Cocksucka, huh?" Lifting himself up so he was kneeling, he reached down with one hand, and grabbed his dick. "Feel free anytime, Little Darlin'."

He honestly though her head was going to explode. Her little hands fisted at her sides, her foot slamming into the ground, and she screeched something to make a banshee proud before she whipped around and stormed into the house.

Chuckling in his throat as he readjusted his position to sit down, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, shaking his head as I dialed without looking. When she slammed the door so hard it broke the frame, he barked out a laugh as he brought his phone to his ear, speaking again as it rang. "Sexy little demon."

Turning his attention to his call when he heard a confused voice in his ear, he just rolled his eyes at the sound of shattering glass. It was either a TV or his stock of liquor, but either way, he would let her have her moment. There were other things to see to, because he was actually being serious when he told her he had something to do right quick.

"Well, howdy there, Randal. How the hell are ya?"

The confusion did not lessen when the voice of the nomad came back through the line. " _Peter? You're supposed to be dead!"_

He just snorted. "Been hearin' that a lot lately. Seem ta me, not everyone so good at they job."

Randal's voice still carried confusion, but now also a heavy dose of awe. " _How did you get out of Italy?"_

"Don't much matta, do it? All that do is I did. Now, I'ma be callin' in some of them favors."

" _Name it."_

Dropping his arm to rest on his bent knee, Peter hummed in his throat. "See, it like this. I don't rightly give no fucks 'bout squarin' off with them fuckers 'cross the way. Been a long time comin' so far as I concerned. What I care 'bout is, they overstepped themselves on account a my sire. Then, them sumbitches decide they gonna do anythin' and everythin' they can think of ta hurt my lady, and that I take personal. What I'ma needja ta do, is rally the troops, 'cause I declare fuckin' war."

Though shocked someone would have the balls to go after Charlotte with Peter's reputation, Randal didn't ask the one question he should have to clear up that misconception on his part, and instead clicked his tongue. " _Who all do you want?"_

Though he thought the answer was obvious, Peter answered it anyway. "Everyone."

There was a grunt through the phone. " _I'm going to need some time."_

Hoisting himself to his feet, Peter ended the call after one last statement. "Ya got three days."

*X*

Walking into the house was an adventure for Peter. Glass breaking under his boots, he shook his head when he found out his little sugar went ahead and broke every bottle of booze that was lined up on the counter. Chances are, she did it with a single swing of her pissed off arm, and while pretty damn annoying, it wasn't the end of the world. If she smashed the TV, he probably would have put her ass over his knee, but liquor? Not a big deal. There was more in the basement, so it wasn't like she ruined his day or anything.

Following his nose, he found her still huffing and puffing on the couch in the living room, her arms crossed and glaring into space. When he leaned on the back of the couch, he laced his fingers together and looked at her profile, snorting when she snapped her head to the side and away from him.

His voice carried his amusement, and it only served to piss her off more. "So, we gonna play that game, huh?" Clicking his tongue when she growled at him, Peter cocked his head. "So, answer me this, Bella. Which ya more pissed about? The fact you took what I said wrong, or that I called ya out after ya called me a cocksucka?"

She didn't want to think rationally at the moment. She wanted to be pissed off, but that son of a bitch never just let her have her moment then calm down. Growling out a huff, she turned to look into the black of Peter's other half, and glared. "Why is it neither one of the two of you can just leave me alone when you know I'm pissed off? It's like... you two go out of your way to piss me off all over again. Ya know? I am trying to not hate your fucking guts, but every time there is some head way, one of you push me, and then... Peter said before I was the one that started everything, but honestly, that's not fucking true. You both know my temper is out of my control, and you _both_ intentionally say shit with double meanings _knowing_ it would set me off."

He just shrugged. "So the fuck what if we do? Darlin', you got any idea how insanely hot is it when that temper a yours gets the best a ya? Any idea at all how difficult it is not ta slam ya ass against a wall when you get goin'? You get piss off and I get a hard on."

Bella scoffed, her lip curling in the corner. "Nice."

Lifting a shoulder again, Peter tsked. "Truth. Whateva relationship woes ya got goin' with the other side ain't my business. I'm done tryin'a fix that bullshit. Y'all two either gonna get on or ya ain't, but this side happens ta find his lady's anger a major fuckin' turn on. He got his three truths, and I got mine. I like my fights dirty, my sex rough, and my lady willin' to throw down at the drop a a hat. You call it pushin' ya temper. I call it foreplay. Now, I ain't gonna say it ain't fucked, cause it kinda is, but the fact a the matta, Sweetpea, is with me, you dealin with a whole new level a fucked." It was then he leaned closer to her, and lowered his voice. "That's sumthin' you gonna haveta square yaself with, cause it ain't gonna change."

There was literally nothing coming to Bella's mind to say to that. She absolutely could not say he didn't lay shit completely out on the line, exactly as it is. Even still, she wasn't quite ready to drop it yet. "And what about when Peter does it?"

Unclasping his hand, he ran one down his face with a hard sigh. "Darlin', we ain't so different as you tryin'a make us. We the same at our core. Our wants and needs are one an' the same. The only difference is how we go 'bout gettin' shit done. He more like the sheriff while I do my shit the outlaw way. He toe the lines while I just jump and see how far past 'em I can get in a bound. That ain't really got shit ta do with it, though. You gotta keep in mind, that the bottom line, Sugar, is objective one in our life is to cause strife. It's fun. It ain't nothin' against ya, but damn Darlin' do you got some thin skin. If everythin' I do, or he does, pisses ya off, it gonna be a long eternity, Bells."

The words were out before Bella put an ounce of thought into them. "And you said you cared."

His reaction to the words was instant too. His back snapped straight and he actually growled pretty fucking hard, making Bella have regrets. "Uh un, Woman. I ain't gonna stand for that. You try that shit again and I'll put ya over my knee and blista that pampered little ass a yers. Fuckin' test me." Looking into her wide eyes, he then let out a breath to calm down and scratched the bridge of his nose before walking around the couch and taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her. Propping himself up with his elbows on his knees, he began to talk with his hands so he didn't try and strangle the betty. "You the most infuriatin' female I eva met in. my. life, and that's sayin' somethin'. Now, I see the issue here, and for once, it ain't me; which says a helluva lot more 'bout somethin' else. Seems ya me, it ain't so much what's bein' said, but how it bein' said that's givin' ya the ground ta say it got double meanin'. So, I'ma say this is a way you ain't gonna be able ta change it up ta suitcha needs at any given fuckin' time like ya do."

Waving a hand at her, he continued. "This shit I couldn't care less about. You absolutely right; I don't care 'bout that. You wanna throw a hissy every damn time I open my mouth? Do the damn thin'. I don't care you break shit. I don't care you play them childish little games. I don't care you don't talk ta me when I piss ya off. That shit fuckin' adorable. G'on. Keep that shit up all you want, but don't you _dare_ sit there and try'n say I don't care 'bout _you_ 'cause I find them antics funny."

Pausing, he then ran his fingers through his hair, his voice lowering, and eyes, though still black, softened. "You still a might young ta understand what this actually means, but I care, Darlin', more 'bout your life than mine. I could die, right now, happy ta do it, so long as I knew you'd live the rest a yours safe from harm. I care more 'bout you than anythin' else on this planet. I care, and no level a hissy on your part gonna change that. Believe me, if I didin't fuckin' care, you'd be dead by now, and several times over."

As Bella sat there and listened to what was being said, she honestly felt like she was stabbed in the heart. Her stomach was tied up in knots, and truth be told, she wanted to puke. Shaking her head, she lowered her eyes, and sighed. "It's not fair, and I know it's not fair, but it's easier."

 _Well, now we gettin' somewhere._ He dipped his head and caught her eyes. "What?"

Throwing her hands up, Bella's voice rose, but she was trying not to make it look like she wasn't actually yelling at him, because she wasn't. She was just frustrated, and there was a small level of fear she couldn't squash no matter how hard she tried. "I've been here before, Peter! You're not the first vampire that's said half that shit to me. You're not the first to tell me you care. You're not the first that used the term mate. You're not the first and I fully believed the last one and look at what fuck happened."

She felt her eyes start to itch, and she shook her head again before ticking bullet points off on her fingers. "Just like what happened with a couple of nomads, because I believed someone who told me he cared, I was sold out, kidnapped, and now once again, I'm being hunted with an added, hefty dose of abandonment and trust issues on top of all of that. I'm sorry, and like I said, I know it's not fair, but once again, history is repeating itself because of someone who claimed to care. Trying to push you away is easier than waiting to find out what the hell is going to happen the third time, because... three strikes and you're out."

With the bridge of his nose held between his fingers, the Captain clicked his tongue. "The things I'm gonna do to that mindreader." Sure, it was damn near his mission in life to make someone else's as difficult as possible, but he didn't take to kindly to it when someone did it to him.

However, it was like once his little lady started, she couldn't stop. "The only difference between then and now is the voice that's saying it, and..." Huffing, she shook her head again. "I don't keep bringing up the Cullens because I actually believe half the shit I learned from them anymore. I do it because I know it pisses you off, and if I piss you off enough, you'll get fed up and walk away without the same attachment I had to them and I won't be left trying to pick up the shattered pieces left behind. I'm doing it on purpose now, but your stubborn ass just won't play along."

He snorted just as hard as he had outside and crossed his arms. He had a hunch it wasn't as unintentional as it seemed when it came the coven, but now that that was out on the table, he threw his whole hand in, too. "Ya damn skippy I ain't gonna play 'long with that pile a bullshit. We got some shit ta work out, Darlin', but I ain't goin' nowhere."

Leaning forward on his thighs, he reached out to her, hooking his hands behind her knees and locked their eyes. This was starting to enter a realm outside his comfort zone, but he was nothing if not willing to do whatever he had to, to get his lady to understand where not only she stood, but where he did as well. "I git it; I do. I might be a bit a a redneck, but I ain't stupid, now. Ya got done real dirty by someone ya cared about. I do understand that. I also understand that bein' the next fella in line means I got my shit cut out for me ta show I ain't gonna do it, too. None a this is news, Sweet Pea. The past a powerful thin'. We all shaped by it. We all do shit 'cause a shit that happened. You scared. It's shitty, and I don't like it, but that really what all this comes down to. You scared."

It was with a scoff, Bella rolled her eyes. "No... I'm not 'scared'. I fucking terrified."

Cocking a brow, he tapped his finger against her leg. "Whatcha got against openin' ya fuckin' mouth and tellin' me that? I ain'tcha damn mind reader, Woman. I'm also pretty damn sure you been told this, but I don't know whatcha don't tell me. If ya'd a just said somethin' sooner, half these issues wouldn't be issues."

Using his grip on her, he jerked her to the edge of the couch and closer to him. Setting his forehead against hers, he sighed. "I'm a asshole, an' I'll be the first ta admit that shit. But, I already told ya once, you different. Sure, I'll push ya buttons 'cause you cute as all hell when you mad, but that's all it is; pushin' buttons. 'Sides, you done found every single one a mine that are better left unpushed, and ya slam them little fists right on 'em. Kinda only fair, really."

Pulling back slightly, he looked her in the eyes. "Told ya this world ain't all that colorful; it black an' white, and this the nitty gritty. The whole a this creature loves you. That a fact. You scared ta let us. That a fact. Somethin', Sweetheart, gonna haveta give. Only time gonna give ya whatcha lookin' for, and we got plenty. Time ta realize when I say somethin', I mean it. Time for me ta prove I ain't playin' no games wicha. There time, Little Lady; just in general. Stop bein' so damn impatient and let shit happen. Stop pickin' fights where they aren't necessary. Ya told me you would try, and ya certainly haven't been doin' that." Cocking a brow, "have ya?"

Bella couldn't have stopped the cringe at being called out over that if she tried. No, she hadn't, and she couldn't say she was.

When she remained silent, he nodded. "I know whatcha said, and I understand it, but Darlin', ya can't e'pect me ta keep my word, if ya don't keep yours."

Bella licked her lips as those words settled into her mind. Flicking her eyes to his, she cleared her throat. "Why won't he say any of this to me?"

Challenge entered his eyes. "When have ya let 'im?" When her eyes averted again, he tsked. "Thought so. I dunno if it instinct on yer part, or what the fuck, but you ain't ever gone at me the way ya go at him. Maybe it cause ya know I won't put up with it and he will. Maybe it cause you as fucked as I am an' ya like this side better. I ain't got no idea, but when he does say somethin' ta this effect, when he tries ta show ya he cares 'boutcha, you twist that shit 'round on 'im and make it somethin' it ain't, and 'cause a that, you then left wonderin' what the hell happened when he storms off. I said it once already, but the problem ain't us. You got some demons, Sweet Pea, and you gonna have ta be the one ta fight 'em, 'cause them ones no one can't fight for ya."

When he was done talking, Bella just sat there, saying nothing before she stood, forcing him to back off, and she left the living room, heading upstairs, leaving him to sigh out a quiet growl. Clicking his tongue, he spun around on his spot, looking at his reflection in the TV. Leaning back, he wrapped his fingers around the edge of the table and kicked his legs out, crossing them at the ankles as he looked himself in the eyes. After a long moment of silence, he clicked his tongue. "How much ya wanna bet this shit Karma comin' back ta bite us in the ass."

Shifting his eyes to the ceiling, he followed the sound of feet pacing the floor, his nose wrinkled. "I'll tell ya somethin', though..." Looking back at himself, there was now a smirk on his lips. "That little betty anythin' but borin'."

*X*

It wasn't often she was left alone for extended periods of time, so she wasn't all that surprised to feel eyes on her back less than an hour after she came upstairs. There was, however, a slight level of shock when she glanced in the mirror to look behind her and saw red eyes looking back. At this point, she would be flat out stupid to think he didn't know every last thing that had been said since before the sparing lesson started. She gulped to herself, and just waited.

Peter stood leaning on the door jam, his arms and ankles crossed. It hadn't been long after she left the room he came back to himself, and he had decided to give them both some space to think about what was said, even if there was a part of him that was slightly concerned about how she was going to twist it.

He gave her plenty of time to do it, too, but when she didn't say anything, and just looked at him through a mirror, Peter licked his lips. It wasn't until he went to open his mouth she opened hers and beat him to it.

"I'm sorry."

There was grunt from Peter's throat as he drummed his fingers on his arm. "We been doin' this back an' forth shit for a bit, so ya shouldn't be all that shocked when I tell ya, I don't believe that." He saw her cringe, and he shrugged. "I don't. It ain't the first time ya said it, and your actions sure as hell ain't backin' it up. Now, I ain't ever really been all that sane, but Baby Doll, you drivin' me nuts."

Biting into her bottom lip, Bella turned sideways and actually looked at him. "I know, but..."

Peter waved her off. "I get your reasonin', Darlin'. Honestly, I do. It ain't the underlyin' cause, but I get whatcha said. Ya got fucked, hard, and I do actually understand how that can weigh on ya. But... I guess I just... I don't understand how you can hold what someone else did so personally against me. What have I done to make you think I would do it to ya, too?"

Shaking her head, Bella gave an exaggerated shrug. "That's just it though... I was blindsided, Peter. There was no indication they were going to do what they did. I don't... mean to be such a pain in the ass but..."

Peter cut her off by pointing a finger at her. "Don't... you dare... stand there and lie to me. I been puttin' up with your uncensored bullshit since damn near the moment we met, but that is the one thing I won't allow. You have been a rock hard pain in the ass since we left Italy, and you have _meant_ to do every damn thing you fuckin' done. I ain't sayin' I ain't without fault here, but Jesus Christ Darlin', a man can only take so much a havin' someone else's shit held against 'im. I toldja once, I ain't the bad guy here. Sure, I'm a bad guy, but in the story you writin' in your head, I ain't fuckin' villain you makin' me out ta be. You turn every fuckin' thing I try to do for you into somethin' sinister. If you keep doin' that, how in God's name am I ever gonna get you to believe me when I tell you I ain't got nothin' but the best of intentions when it comes to you?"

When she opened her mouth to answer, Peter cut in with an after thought. "And if you compare me to that mother fucker one more time, I will show you just how bad of a guy I actually am. I ain't done shit ta deserve it."

Swallowing the comment on the tip of her tongue with an audible gulp, Bella instead shook her head again. "I don't know."

Sighing and running a hand down his face, Peter pushed himself off the door frame and walked across the room. No matter how pissed off he got at her, he really didn't like it when she was upset, and liked it even less when he was the reason she was. Much to his surprise, she didn't fight when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. Lacing his fingers behind her back, he looked down her. "Listen ta me, and for once, just listen. Don't pick it apart. Don't twist it 'round. Just listen, and hear what I'm sayin'.

"Baby Doll, I'm tired, and I ain't been tired in a long time. I'm tired a this back and forth, hot and cold, one minute everythin' fine and the next the damn sky is fallin' bullshit that been goin' on since Italy. Ya can't blame it on bein' a newborn like ya tried, cause you was doin' it when you was human, too. You just plain pissed off in general. At me, at them, at the fuckin' world itself. I know it, and you know it. It was fine for a bit. It was cute for a while. Now, it's just fuckin' exhaustin' when most a our issues come down to a lack a communication. An' that ain't just you. I'm guilty of it, too."

Pausing for a moment, Peter sighed and shook his head. "I ain't used ta havin' to explain myself no more. I haven't had to in longer than you been alive. Hell, probably ain't had to since your mama and daddy been alive. My point..."

Cutting in without really think about it, Bella's head tilted slightly to the side. "How old are you?"

Pursing his lips, Peter hummed in the back of his throat. "Uhhhundred and thirty-seven last month, includin' human years; a hundred and twelve without it. I was bitten in 1892 when I was twenty-five." When she only nodded but said nothing else, he changed what he was going to say, and instead leveled the playing field between them. "You ain't the only one tryin' to come ta terms with gettin' dicked by someone you didn't think would do it to ya. Don't know why I thought I woulda been immune ta Jasper's lack a emotional ties, but you weren't the only one blindsided, Darlin'. I've known Jasper for over a century. I fought next ta that sumbitch. I saved his ass more times as he saved mine. Ya can't compare the crumble a my ties ta my maker to them scant few months you spent with that coven. Jasper _made_ me, and from what little I know a you and that boy, he ain't ever made ya the offer of eternity."

When she cringed, he tightened his grip on her hips "You hurtin', and I ain't gonna take that from ya. Here's the thing though... The squabblein' we doin' might for a time make us feel a little betta, a little more in control a somethin' we ain't got a lotta control over, but at the end a the day, we is all we got. You eventually gonna have ta trust me. My point before, Dolly, was that I ain't use ta tryin'a explain the shit that goes through my head. By now, you gotta know my head is one fucked up place ta be, and it don't always translate well. I _know_ it might seem like it, but I ain't keepin' nothin' from ya. Don't forget, Sug, we still got Alice ta worry 'bout, and I don't want her knowing shit till it too late for her to stop. When we reach that point, I'll tell ya everythin', but until then, try ta trust I know what I'm doin'."

It was then he dipped his head to rest on hers as he lowered his voice. "The past already happened. We can't change it. The future will come when it comes. We can't stop it. All we can do, Sweetheart, is live in the now. Besides, it's a lot more fun."

Eyes sliding halfway closed, Bella's brain clouded over as she became surrounded by the combination of dirt and tobacco. It was such a subtle scent you literally had to be right up on him to catch it, but for the effect it had on her, you wouldn't think so. A slightly drunk looking grin pulled at her lips, and she nodded. "Okay... I'll do that."

With a chuckled 'thank god', he pressed his lips to her forehead before picking his head up. Moving his hands from her hips, he cupped her face. "I'm gonna clear this one last thing up for you since you brought it up before. I got so much ta teach ya, ta show ya. I got a job when it comes to you, Baby Doll. That aside, I got plans for us that ain't got nothin' ta do with anythin' that's goin' on right now; eternal plans. But, eternity is a marathon, not a sprint. I love ya to death, literally, and have _every_ intention of spendin' every last day of forever wicha. So far as that goes, though, I'ma make ya my wife 'fore I make ya my mate, but I ain't gonna do neither till this crap done an' over with. So settle on it, pin it, do whatever with it. Just know, there ain't no rush here. We'll get there when we get there."

Bella had no idea what happened to her in that moment. She wasn't sure if it was because this was the first time both sides of Peter's personality told her the same thing, or if it was because she finally had it pointed out to her she and Peter really were in the same boat when it came to what happened with the Cullens, or if it was something completely different and unrelated, but in that moment, she actually believed him.

The thought though, brought up something else in her mind, and though she didn't know if it was the time to ask, she did it anyway. "In unrelated topics, um... you and him..."

Lip curling in the corner at the abrupt change in subject, Peter shutted it aside as just her attention span being outdone by a dead carrot as he he released her face and crossed his arms, really hoping there wasn't about to be another argument after that. "What about me and him?"

Thinking through her question to make sure it made sense, or as much as it could, Bella played with her tongue behind her teeth before looking up at him through her lashes. "You two have always been separate, right?" When he shrugged, she licked her lips. "What would happen if that divide was gone?"

Raising a brow at the question, a slightly demonic looking smirk pulled at his lips as be bent at the waist to look her in the eyes. "Why? You got a thing for the dark side, Baby Doll?" Though she clearly bulked at the question, she didn't deny it. When she also didn't say anything, Peter chuckled as he stood back up. "I don't say this often, and I don't like sayin' it, but I honestly have no idea. It always been like it is. That said now, I don't scare easy, and don't fear a whole lot either. But you... you ain't got no idea what that sumbitch actually capable of. You ain't seen him in action yet. I'm sure you'll see it eventually, but Darlin', he caged for a reason. Hell, to that point, I don't even know what the fuck he can do 'cause I ain't ever seen it either.

"He the one thing on this planet that scares the shit outta me cause there ain't no controllin' him. I am more afraid of an entity in my own fuckin' head than I am my damn sire... and, yeah, before ya point it out, I'm fully aware of what that sounds like." He could actually imagine what the fucker's face looked like after saying that, and it took more focus than it should have not to shudder or roll his eyes.

Bella just crossed her arms loosely over her chest. "Well, that makes sense to me. What he does affects you, and if he dies, you die. You might not have any control over what Jasper does, but you've known him long enough to know what he can do vs what he can't. Since you don't have the actual memories of what your other half does when he's running the show, and only know of the aftermath, I can understand how that could be a bit unsettling." Then she cleared her throat. "I guess I'm just wondering what would happen to you if that divide was gone."

Scrubbing his face, Peter than rubbed his hands together. "I suspect I would be a much bigger dick on a much more regular basis, Darlin', but I don't know." Then his eyes crinkled in the corners. "Why so curious?"

At the question, Bella was left with nothing to do but shrug and drop her eyes. "I don't know, just am. You don't seem... whole." Lifting her eyes back to his, she licked her lips. "I've spent a decent amount of time around both of you over the last couple of days, and there's something about both of you that seem like... I dunno, something's missing."

Humming in the back of his throat, Peter grinned and reached out a hand, wrapping his fingers around her forearm, and pulling her back to him. Holding her much closer to himself this time, he dipped his head and butted his nose to hers. "The only thing I'm missin' is you, Baby Doll."

Smiling with a coy giggle, Bella bit into her lip to keep herself from telling him there wasn't as much of a difference between them today as there has been, and he wasn't the only one calling her Baby Doll.


	21. Chapter 21

Most people think the one thing in any life that will always come back to bite you in the ass is Karma.

Most people were wrong.

It's hindsight.

Once Peter left her to own devices while he went to clean up the mess she made in the kitchen, Bella had taken a seat on the bed, and though she didn't actually want to, her mind supplied her with the start of every single argument she and Peter had gotten into, and it made her sick to her stomach. He had been right before; she really had started every single one, and numerous times, had actually gone out of her way to do so. Sure, she had her reasons, but her trust issues didn't translate to a defense. He hadn't deserved what she had been doing, and somewhere in her mind, she knew it at the time she did it. He had been far more patient with her than she deserved, and she had made up her mind that she was going to try and make it up to him. She had no idea how, but she was determined to do something to show him she was actually sorry for everything.

Convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt there had to be a way, Bella considered her options, but wasn't coming up with much. She couldn't help clean up the mess she made, she would only make it worse. She didn't know if she was ready for any kind of physical relationship, and though she was pretty sure he would be agreeable to it, she did know sex didn't really fix anything. She didn't have the means to buy him anything, though she was positive if she asked him for some money he would give it to her, almost with no questions asked, but he didn't strike her at the kind of guy that was into what would amount to little more than bribery to not be pissed off at her. She also knew most of their problems came from her inability to trust him, but that was the one thing she wasn't sure how to fix. No, he hadn't done anything to show her she couldn't. As a matter of fact, he damn near went out of his way to show her she could.

The week and a half she was human after their escape from Italy, there were numerous times he not only could have, but if she was actually honest with herself, should have killed her. She understood something changed for him, making him see her as something more than the means to an end she used to be. She understood she had been dead wrong about everything she ever thought. She understood she was holding a man she really knew nothing about to a standard that didn't actually exist.

With a sigh, she dropped back on the bed, her arms flopping and hands landing above her head. Looking at the ceiling, she pursed her lips. How could she do something like that? How could she possibly hold someone who clearly had more issues than an entire psychiatric hospital to any kind of standard? Especially one that had some kind of moral compass? She meant what she said before about the Cullens and using her past with them as a form of protection, using them to drive Peter away, but really, that wasn't completely true. The truth was, the man terrified her in ways she couldn't explain, made her feel things she didn't understand.

Then again, that also wasn't completely true.

She was afraid he would walk away, even though he said he wouldn't, because so did Edward. She was afraid he would hurt her, even though he said he wouldn't, because so did Edward. Even knowing she had given him plenty of reasons to do both, he hadn't, because he wasn't Edward. She was holding all kinds of shit against him, because of Edward, but he wasn't Edward.

Blowing a puff of air hard from her lips, Bella pushed herself to sit up, leaning against her hands, a slight sneer on her face. God, she was a bitch, but she had an idea now.

Bobbing herself to the side of the bed, she stood, straightening her mental shoulders before she left the room and headed for the stairs. She had an idea, but she wasn't sure how well it would go over. She let it run through her mind as she descended to the first floor, playing with her fingers. It was half-assed at best, but from what she had discovered about Peter was, he also planned shit half-assed, so maybe, just maybe, a half-assed plan was better than nothing.

By the time she reached the kitchen, she had convinced herself this was a good idea, and when she rounded the corner, she swallowed hard, her eyes falling on Peter as he swept up the last of the glass on the floor. Nose wrinkling slightly, she glanced off to the side, a stab of remorse coming from hearing the glass tinker together. That was pretty terrible of her, but, she had a plan, and letting out a breath, she crossed the threshold into the room, walking over to Peter as he stood up, and holding out a hand.

"Isabella."

Caught completely off guard at the presentation of the hand in his face, Peter jerked his head back so she didn't catch him in the nose, his brow sliding up his forehead. "Beg pardon?"

Biting into her lip as he turned away to toss the glass into the trash can, she let out a breath to calm herself, and once she was sufficiently talked back into the fact this was a good plan, she once again closed the distance between them, held her hand out again, and looked him in his very confused and standoffish eyes. "Isabella."

Puckering his lips, Peter set the dustpan on the counter, glancing at her once again outstretched hand, and crossed his arms as he leaned a hip on the counter's edge. "The hell you doin'?"

Licking her lips, Bella glanced off to the side for a moment, letting out yet another breath before looking back at Peter. "Everything... this is... nothing is right. From start to finish, everything is wrong. The situation. Our perception of the situation. It's... it's all wrong. I'm not..." shaking her head, she sighed. "I have nothing to fall back on to tell me how I'm supposed to act. I've never done this before, and I'm not talking about the change in species. I've never done this, and I have nothing but...him, to tell me how this is going to go. It's not fair, and I know it's not fair, and I am sorry, but really, this whole thing is stupid and..."

Pausing and giving her head a shake, Bella scratched the back of her head and flicked her eyes back to Peter and his raised brow. "I know we can't go back. I know I can't change what I've done, but..." gulping back the lump in her throat, she once again held out her hand, looking up at Peter through her lashes. "My name is Isabella, and I would like to start over."

Nothing she said lessened his confusion, and with a slightly chuckle in his throat, Peter's lip curled. "What?" Scoffing only slightly, he sighed. "Baby Doll, listen carefully." Leaning toward her, he lowered his voice. "No." Straightening back up, he cocked his head to the side as he watched Bella's face fall. Clicking his tongue, he elaborated. "I ain't all that interested in startin' over, Bella. Movin' forward? Hell yeah, but not startin' over. We come to far to go back like that. You really wanna go through all this shit again?"

Bella was quick to shake her head. "No, no not at all and that's not what I meant. Um, I just think, not that we had much of a choice of course, but I think we started out on the wrong foot. I mean, we _really_ didn't have a choice, but come on Peter, think about it. Since day one it's been about... everything it shouldn't be. I want to start over so everything that's coming makes sense. I want to start over because right now it doesn't. Right now..." jumping tracks, "what are we fighting for, Peter?"

Nose wrinkling, Peter scoffed much harder this time. "Our fuckin' lives, that's what."

Bella, though, just shrugged. "Okay, but why?" Bella crossed her arms when Peter jolted at the question. "I'm not asking why are we fighting to survive. I don't want to die, but I'm asking why? Why should we? When this is all over, what's going to be left that we can look at and say this is all worth it? You said we're fighting for our lives, and I'm asking what life? A life of fighting over bullshit we can't do a damn thing about? I'm not interested, so again I ask, what are we fighting for?"

Opening his mouth, Peter paused a moment, not really sure how to answer that. Well, any of it really. She made a couple of valid point, but he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He certainly wasn't interested in spending the rest of eternity fighting with the girl, and no matter the fact things seemed to been smoothed out, recent history said it was only a motter of time before something else cropped up and they would be at the other, once again. So, deciding to humor her for once, Peter uncrossed his arms, reached out with one and, hooking a finger through her belt loop, pulled his girl to his chest. Wrapping his fingers around her hip, he tilted his head to the side. "So, what is it you proposin', Dolly?"

Looking up at him, Bella pressed her lips together, biting into the inside of her cheek. She didn't know how this was going to go, how he was going to take what she was about to say, but she decided to stop hiding behind her fear and, after licking her lips, she cleared her throat. "I'm proposing that we stop acting like we're going to die, and start giving each other something to life for when this is all over." Looking away for this next part, she dropped her eyes. "You're all I have. They took everything else. You have Charlotte, and the.. people in your head, and your... other half or whatever. You have normalcy, or what you know as normalcy anyways, and I'm still trying to figure out what normalcy is for me. But right now, all I know is, you are all I have, and that's terrifying, and more than just slightly pathetic to be honest, but it's..."

Glancing back up at him through her lashes, "you are all I have and I don't want this crap fucking that up, too. If you meant what you said before about having plans that come after this, then I think we need to start over, from the beginning, and try again. I think we need to forget how we met and the circumstances that brought us together and... I don't know." Lifting a helpless shoulder, her voice took on something of a pleading tone. "I guess what I'm proposing that we stop treating this like it's the end of the world, and start figuring out what the hell is going to come next."

The look that overtook Peter's face was nothing short of pure indulgence. Grinning wide enough to show teeth, he held the hand that wasn't on Bella's hips over her head. "That's a pretty large order from such a tiny thin', Baby Doll."

Batting Peter's hand from above her with a playful glare, she wrinkled her nose. "Shut up, I'm not that short. You're just freakishly tall." At the cocked brow she got, she huffed. "Okay, so I'm short, whatever, fuck you very much." Rolling her eyes, she tried to hide her smile, but it was still in her eyes as she cleared her throat. "Seriously, back to what I was saying. Say an army of Italians showed up at your door, without prior warning; what would you do?"

Snorting hard, Peter actually belted out an unexpected laugh, catching Bella off guard enough to make her jump. She blinked at him, and when her eyes reopened she found herself looking into the darkest red she had ever seen Peter's eyes turn. They weren't red, but they were black either. His voice was deeper, but not so much as when his other side came out to play. However, it held every ounce of sadistic amusement the Captain always spoke with. "I'd fuckin' kill 'em." Leaning over her, he forced Bella to lean back, but he didn't let her go. Locking his eyes on her wide ones, he teeth almost snapped together as he spoke. "No one without a death wish would be that stupid. Them Italians on they way, right now, as we speak, have nothin' ta live for and know they on a suicide mission. This ain't the end a the world, Baby Doll, not by a long shot. Might seem like it. Might even feel like it, but it ain't, I can promise ya that. Can also promise ya I ain't treatin' it like it is."

Even as a vampire now, Bella was still forever caught off guard by how fast Peter could move. Even with her new eyes, she couldn't follow him, and she was still left coming up short when his speed was used on her. Blinking as the world spun around her, she grabbed onto Peter's shoulders to stop the tilting of the Earth's axes when he picked her up by the hips, spun her around, and sat her on the counter.

His hands to either side of her, he was bend at the waist still, his eyes level with hers, but still that same dark red. His voice now, however, held a growl. "This a bullsit hurtal put in place by a candy ass that ain't got the balls ta face his absolution like a man; that ain't got the balls ta face _me_ like a man. _That's_ what's I'm treatin' this shit like. Not like it the end a the world. Not like the damn sky fallin'. When I said we fightin' for our fuckin' lives, I didn't mean it like ya took it. I didn't mean we fightin' for survival, cause Baby Doll, if I gotta kill the Devil himself we survivin'. Swear that on my life, as condemned as it is. There ain't any other outcome I'm willin' ta entertain. We fightin' for what comes next. Sucks somethin' awful this shit gotta come first, but it is what it is. If you ain't got the stomach for bloodshed, if you ain't got revenge in ya, that fine, Darlin'. I got plenty enough for the both a us."

Looking away from his piercing eyes for a moment, Bella's hands slid down from his shoulders to his chest where she played with a button on his shirt as she chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. "Well," looking back at him, "I'm not gonna make you fight for us by yourself."

Chuckling deep in his throat, Peter leaned into her, stopping just before their lips touched, lowering his voice, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "I ain't gonna make you fight for anythin' at all." Pulling back to look in her eyes, he ran the tip of his tongue slowly along his upper lip, tasting the hint of her flavor that transferred from her own before he clicked his tongue and tilted his head slightly. "What was your plan tonight, Baby Doll? What was it you came down here wantin' from me with all this start over stuff?"

Her own lips tingling from the almost kiss, Bella's head was swimming from his nose gripping scent. Trying very hard to focus on something other than how close he was, she cleared throat, but it didn't do enough. There was still a slight growl to her own voice she couldn't completely make go away. "I um..." shaking her head, she locked her glossed over eyes on Peter's, "just, wanted to wipe the slate clean, to forget everything up to this point and start," waving a finger between she and him, "this again."

Lips parting into a smirk that all but melted Bella's panties, Peter's nose even wrinkled with his one word response. "Done."

To which Bella jolted. "Really? Just like that? Even with the kind of bitch I've been to you for no reason, you're willing to forgive and forget it all?"

Peter merely popped a shoulder. "'Course I am. Know why?" When Bella shook her head, Peter's face softened. "'Cause ya asked me to." Then, he smirked at her again. "See what happens when ya actually open your mouth and talk ta me? Generally speakin', you gonna get whatcha want."

If Bella had the ability to blush, she would be beet red. Biting her lip so she didn't give herself away, she shrugged. "Who knew, right?" Giving her throat another clearing, she sighed as she looked up through her lashes. "So what now? More defense training?"

Peter shook his head slowly, and upturn of his lips setting Bella slightly on edge. "Nope. Ain't much in the mood for that right at the moment." Fingers slipping into her hair, he grabbed a handful at the base of his girl's skull, pulling her head back to make her actually look up at him. Stepping up to the counter, he locked his eyes on hers. "Right now, I'ma kiss you till ya forget how ta talk. Then, I'ma throw ya over my shoulder, take your little ass upstairs, tie ya ta my bed, and spend the next two days with either my tongue or my cock buried between your legs." Dipping his head, Peter gently nuzzled his nose along the length of Bella's, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Any objections?"

Bella's mouth went dry halfway down her throat. So far back, in fact, were she still human, she would probably throw up.

Peter chuckled deep in his throat as he continued his assault on his girl's senses. "We ain't goin' back, 'member. We startin' over, and I can't think a any betta way ta do it."

Reflectively swallowing, and choking on it, Bella's voice was airy, but it did carry a hint of desire buried under her confusion. "But... but before you said..."

Nipping at her lips, Peter grinning in anything but a nice way. "Changed my mind. Still gonna wife ya, but right now, weddin' bells ain't exactly what I wanna hear." His lips now hovering over hers, "so nows the time ta voice them objections if ya got 'em."

Putting in a very valiant effort on her part, or so she thought, Bella licked her lips, but since Peter was still so close, the tip of her tongue glided along his as well, which, honestly, did nothing to help her keep her wits about her when the flavor of aged whiskey with a hint of tobacco and leather seeped into her tastebuds. Her voice shook as much as she did, but she wasn't as against the idea as she thought she would have been. "I... I don't... I've nev..."

Fingers tightening in Bella's hair, Peter used his grip to pull her head back just a little more, dipping his own and running his nose along the column of her neck before scraping his teeth over the mark he left when he turned her, her body all but melting at the action. "Not a deterrent." Nuzzling his mark, "if anythin', it just makes me wantcha more. "Lifting his head, he locked his smoldering eyes on Bella's. "Last chance, Baby Doll. Either tell me a flat out no, or we goin' upstairs."

Then... she realized something. Peter wasn't the one that called her out on not talking to him about what she wanted or what was bothering her. The Captain was. Lip curling in the corner, her eyes crinkled as she caught her breath. "How did you know to ask that?"

There was rough growl on the air as Peter's head dropped down so his chin was nearly touching his chest. Untangling his fingers from Bella's hair and placing his hand back on the counter, he huffed. "Well, ya certainly knows how ta kill the damn mood, don'tcha." Letting out a hard breath, Peter picked his head back up, pure irritation on his face as a brow slid high on his forehead. Even for as annoyed as he was, he was just as confused by her question as she was to ask it. "Ask what? If ya had any objections ta me fuckin' your brains out? The fuck you really think a me that I ain't gonna getcha permission first?"

Bella was already shaking her head before he finished the second question. "No, not that." When she paused, she found herself under the weight of a look that clearly told her to get the point. So, she did. "How did you know to say 'see what happens when I open my mouth and talk to you?"

Not having any idea where this line of questioning came from, Peter's lip curled. "I know you new at this recall shit, but I said it before; in the livin' room."

Looking at his eyes once again, and still seeing they were red, dark red but still red, Bella shook her head. "No, you didn't. I didn't have that conversation with you. I had it with him."

Pushing himself to stand straight, Peter's eyes shifted back and forth as his top lip pulled away from his teeth. He could clearly recall the conversation, word for word, but if he wasn't the one that said it, he shouldn't be able to. He only ever knew outcomes of conversations, not the actual conversation. Head cocking to the side, "I... don't know." After another moment, he shrugged, deciding this wasn't the time for exploration into his, admittedly, fucked up head. "I also don't care. Wanna know what I care about right now?" When he saw Bella shake her head, he grinned at her as he hooked his hands behind her knees and jerked her to the edge of the counter and right up to him. "Them objections."


	22. Chapter 22

The tops of Bella's feet were hooked over the tops of Peter's thighs, her body supported by one of his arms behind her while the hand of his other was tangled in her hair, arching her backwards, his lips wrapped around her left nipple.

Fifty seven...

Fifty seven times her head spun and toes curled in the last fifty two hours, and they were gearing up for number fifty eight on the living room couch as they waited for two of Peter's friends to arrive.

For Bella, she never knew it would would be so hard to stop. There had been such a rock of trepidation the first time she and Peter did anything, that she was almost left coming up short on how, just over two days later, she couldn't get enough of him. What was even stranger was, she never thought she would be into anything quite like he was, but rougher he pulled her hair, the harder he smacked her ass, the higher up the ladder she climbed.

She also discovered she _loved_ _it_ when he bit her. That discovery was a complete accident though, and he actually felt bad about it at the time. She caught him off guard when one of her fingers found its way into one of the holes in his wrists, and her nail raked across one of the two bones in his forearm. He was propped above her, mapping her body out with his lips when it happened. She was already pretty out of her mind at the time, but when she innocently wrapped her fingers around his wrist and what happened happened, a growl that actually shook the walls ripped out of him and his jaw clamped down, embedding every single one of his teeth all the way to the gums in her hip. Her body shook with her very first orgasm, the scream that tore from her not one of pain, but of euphoria.

For Peter, when that happened, his vision actually blacked out, and he lost complete and total control over himself. He really did feel bad, almost unable to apologize fast enough, but when he forced his jaw to open, pushing himself up to look down at his girl in horror, he got the shock of his life when his mind cleared the pain of the accidental probing of the inside of his wrist enough to register the fact she had gotten off on his reactionary oopsie. He just stared at her for the longest moment as she floated back down to Earth, her eyes opening to look back at him with nothing but undiluted _excitement_ in the crimson depths.

She wasn't sure if his response to her apparently being a masochist was a threat or not, but when 'I'll have to keep that in mind' fell from his lips, her stomach clenched, and not in a bad way. His voice had dripped in a husky promise, and he certainly kept it... _after_ his teeth sank into her neck.

Bella actually _watched_ the shift in his mind happen; and all he did was pinch the bridge of his nose and grunt with a shake of his head. He then blinked three times, his eyes a different color each time they opened; once red, then black, then that same dark crimson they were in the kitchen, and that's how they stayed. He looked hungry, but the way he looked at her, said he didn't want blood. She wasn't sure what to say, if she should tell him, so she just stared at him until he grinned, a sadistic looking grin too, before he chuckled something to make a human lose bladder control as his lips reconnected with hers, and round two started.

He hadn't been lying when he said he liked his sex rough and his lady ready to throw down at the drop of a hat, or that he considered pissing her off being foreplay. They beat the shit out of each other as much as they fucked, both ending up with bite scars and nail gouges, and both enjoying every minute of it.

Peter had thought that by putting some kind of distances between them they might get some shit done, so when his phone rang, he actually stepped out of the room and closed the door, leaving his mate to bask in the afterglow of round fifty seven, taking the call from Randall that said he would be there in less than hour. Staying in the hall for another couple of minutes, he had reentered his, their, bedroom, finding his little lady had gotten up from the floor and into the shower. Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled to himself, making the tough decision not to join her, and instead went to the closet for a pair of pants. Letting her know he would be downstairs when she was done, he took a seat on the couch, turned on the TV, and propped a foot on the coffee table, tossing his arms along the back of the couch.

That was the position Bella had found him in, only with his phone to his ear. He was in nothing just a pair of jeans, and just like that, she went from sated to ready again. Biting into her lip, she clasped her fingers together behind her back and sauntered into the room. She saw his eyes flick to her, roaming up and down her body, taking in the way the dress she put on clung to her form in all the right places. When she reached the couch, she took the two steps between the couch and the coffee table needed to stand by his leg, and with her lip still between her teeth, kicked her leg over his before she leaned over him, taking a seat astride his hips.

Her nails dragging along his pecks, her lips found their favorite spot on his neck, and she giggled in her throat when she heard him let out a slightly growled moan.

" _Baby Doll, I'm on the phone."_

" _I know."_

" _It's important."_

" _Mmhmm."_

Her hands trailed down his torso to the button on his jeans and she sighed when she felt his fingers in her hair, his nails raking at her scalp, his much deeper voice informing whoever he was talking to he had to go before she felt the device his her thigh and Peter pulled her out of his neck by her hair and his lips capturings hers in a biting kiss.

Her clothing didn't stand a chance, but he wouldn't let her return that favor, the jeans he was wearing one of his favorites. He didn't take over the dominate position, to her shock. He let her do as she wanted, and she decided she wanted something a little more sensual than what had been happening. Squeezing her inner muscles as she rolled her hips, Bella was steadfastly ignoring the fact that every couple of minutes there was a knock on the front door, and Peter seemed perfectly alright with that. She was getting close, however, and the volume of her cries grew with every move she made.

When her movements became too erratic to be effective, Peter pulled his head back, releasing his mate's tit and rolling them over to the side. She met him halfway, their lips connecting and her not wasting a moment giving in his demand she part hers and allow his tongue to play with hers.

One foot on the ground, Peter put one hand on the arm of the couch above his mate's head, holding himself off of her as his other hand went between them, his thumb finding what he was after without even trying. Pressing hard against her clit, with a perfectly timed twist and a single thrust of his hips, Bella wrenched her mout free of his and threw her head back as her back arched high off the couch, his name ripping from her throat and bouncing around the room.

Pressing his lips to the bite mark to the left side of her neck that told every last mother fucker on the plant this female was his, he pulled out of her and just stared at her as she caught her breath. After a singular moment, he slanted his eyes to the door. He really had kept his company waiting a really long time, but looking back at his girl, he also didn't care. As her body dropped back to the couch cushions, he dipped his head, pecked her lips and got off her. When a soft voice questioned if he was done, he grinned at her as he pulled his jeans back up. "Nope, that was for you, Baby Doll. But, I'm gonna answer the door, so..." grabbing the throw off the back of the couch, he dropped over his lady's glorious body, "keep covered."

All Bella did was drap the blanket over her chest and let it do whatever it was going to between her legs as she closed her eyes to finish catching her breath.

Peter was still tucking himself into his jeans when he unlocked the door. Doing up the zipper, he didn't bother with the button as he opened it, crossing his arms and leaning on the jam, smirking at the vampires that were perched on the railing of the porch. "I ain't even sorry."

Randall, glancing toward the only vampire he would drop everything for, rolled his eyes. "Didn't figure you would be. Could have told us to wait a while before coming over when we were on the phone, though."

Snickering as he jerked his head back, telling the nomad to come inside, Peter stood to his full height. "But where's the fun in that?" Stepping to the side so the two outside had the room to enter, he then shut the door, grabbing Garrett's presented hand. "Been a while. How the hell are ya?"

Before Garrett could answer, from the corner of his eye, Peter caught Randall staring into the den, where his naked mate was. She had rolled over to face the back of the couch, but didn't readjust the blanket to cover her backside.

Before the nomadic guest could correct his mistake, Peter had his back not just against a wall, but he dented the wall of the entry with Randall's body. Eyes narrowed and teeth bared, Peter's voice was little more than a snarl. "That the Lady of the House so if she don't wanna get dressed, she ain't gotta but that don't give ya no free pass ta stare at her ass. Keep in mind, she ain't just my mate, but I'm also her Sire, so I'll beat your ass twice as hard if I catch ya doin' it again. Ya get me, Boy?"

Garrett, bringing a hand up to the side of his face, kept his head down as he walked down the hall, keeping the blind spot in place until he was in the kitchen, listening to Randall, very quickly, agree to Peter's terms.

Peter, growling low just shoved his buddy past the opening to the den with a shake of his head, watching as Randall completely turned his head and hurried to the kitchen. Closing his eyes and scratching the bridge of his nose, he stepped up to the couch, kicking a foot up on his toes and crossing his ankles as he bent at the waist and placed his hands on the arms. There was a grin on his lips and fire in his eyes as he did take in the sight of his mate's ass. "You gonna get someone killed, Baby Doll, if you don't put some clothes on."

Craning her head back, she looked up at him with a smile. "How am I supposed to do that? You ripped my dress apart like it was wrapping paper."

Leaning slightly to the side, he chuckled as his eyes fell on the aforementioned shredded scraps on the floor. Returning his eyes to Bella, he licked his lips. "Take the blanket with you, go get dressed, and meet us out back." When she nodded at him, he turned to leave the room, but paused and looked back when she called his name.

Sitting up, Bella wrapped the blanket around her body and stood. Scratching the back of her head, she bit her lip, glancing toward the kitchen for a moment before stepping closer to Peter and lowering her voice. "Probably should have asked this long before now, but, what's going on with you? Two days ago, I saw... um..."

Ever patient with her, Peter just cocked his head to the side when she didn't continue after a moment. "Saw what?"

Shaking her head, Bella grunted as she turned her head to the mirror that was hanging on the wall, Peter doing the same when she nodded to it. "That... I saw that."

Looking at the reflection, knowing what she was talking about but refusing to acknowledge it with someone besides her present, he hummed. "The only thin' I see in that mirror is a newborn that needs ta eat." Returning his eyes to his mate, he stepped to the side and gave her a swat on the ass. "Clothes, Woman. We got shit to do."

Jumping with a squealed 'okay', Bella giggled as she crossed the entry and started ascending the stairs, but paused on the second, calling Peter's name once again. Biting into her lip when he whipped back around, concern on his face in response to the concern in her voice, she shifted her eyes to the kitchen before looking back at him, lowering her voice again. "You are okay, though, right?"

Crossing his arms, Peter regarded his mate for a short moment, him as well turning to look back at the kitchen. He cocked at a brow when he saw Randall grab Garrett by the wrist and drag him outback, closing the door behind them, but said nothing to it as he turned back to Bella, slowly making his way back to her. "If ya ain't careful, Sweetpea, you gonna make me think ya like me or sumthin'." Uncrossing his arms and folding them on the banister, he tilted his head as he regarded the crease in Bella's brow and the downturn of her lips. "How can ya think, after two days a livin' inside that perfect little body a yours, I could be anythin' but okay?"

Holding the blanket closed with one hand, Bella set her other on Peter's forearm, her frown deepening. "It's just... I know what I saw, and..."

Peter, however, cut her off with a shake of his head. "No, ya don't; you ain't got no idea, Baby Doll." Glancing off to the side, he then licked his lips. "It's quiet. You know how long it been since it been quite? I don't even know how long it been since then." Removing his arms from the banister, Peter grabbed the end rod and swung himself around to face the stairs.

Bella, eyes wide and standoffish, backed up for every step he moved closer, backing herself up the stairs until she stepped on the blanket, falling backwards and landing hard on the wooden stairs.

Peter did nothing to try and catch her, just dropped over her, catching himself and hovering above her, but dipping his head to the tip of his nose touched his mate's. His voice was low, but it still demanded to be heard. "It's all there, every bit a it, and it's nauseatin'. I can see it, all a it. Everythin' he ever done, I can _remember_ what it looked it, smelled like, felt like. Captain Whitlock was a separate entity, his own memories, his own life. Ta everyone else, he was as real a person as I am. Ta me? He was a shadow I saw out the corner a my eye that was gone fast as it came. He was a bad dream ta wake up from. Now? Now that just a title I used ta go by when I was a youngin. My voices are gone, and it's quiet; for the first time I can ever remember, Darlin', it's quiet. For the first time in my vampiric life, I ain't got no idea what's comin'. I don't need ta know what comin'." Dipping his head further, his lips brushed Bella's as he whispered, "cause I know I'ma handle it."

Bella watched as Peter pulled back. She looked up at him as he looked down at her, his face passive, but his eyes burned with everything he had done he never knew he did. She knew that's what happened two days ago, but she didn't realize it was nearly a complete rewiring of Peter's brain. Swallowing hard, she licked her dry lips, trying to think of something to say, but what came out was not really what she wanted it to be. "I'm sorry."

Rearing back from the two simple words, Peter bulked. "The fuck you sorry for? Bella, Darlin', ya don't get it. I don't care. I don't care about none a it. The only thin' I care 'bout, is you. That's it. That's all that's on the 'give a shit' list, as it should be. You was told this once before, but I'll say it again; the whole a this monster before you, loves you. Neither one a us was gonna be willin' ta give up time with our mate, so the only solution was for two ta become one."

Frowning deep, Bella sighed quietly, looking away from Peter's dark and piercing gaze. "I haven't done anything but fuck your whole life up since we met and I..."

Not having it, Peter clamped his hand over Bella's mouth, narrowing his eyes at her when she looked back. "You completed my life, so knock that shit off, Woman. You done what no one else could. You made me whole, for the first time since I was human. Are the images pretty? Fuck no, but you know what else ain't gonna be pretty? What I'ma do to them fuckin' Cullens."

Forcing his hand from her mouth, Bella face pinched. "What do you mean?"

A very sinister smirk that was _all_ the Captain pulled at Peter's lips making Bella gulp. "I toldja that 'fore I ever bitcha." Dipping his head, he pecked his mate's lips before hoisting himself to his feet and pointing up the stairs. "Clothes, _now_."

She didn't argue. Rolling to her feet, Bella didn't even take the throw blanket with her as she bolted up the steps and down the hall to her and Peter's room to find something to put on.


	23. Chapter 23

"Jesus fucking... just how the fuck do you plan on hiding those?"

Sitting at the table on the back porch with his feet kicked up on the railing with his ankles crossed, Peter had a beer in one hand, his other held up in such a way as he could look at the hole that went straight through to the other side. Closing one eye, he actually peered through his wrist at Randall, who asked a pretty valid, if not incredibly stupid, question. "Same way I hide the rest, ya dumb fuck."

Wincing, Randall glanced over at Garrett, who was leaning on the safety rail of the porch with his arms and ankles crossed, a contemplative look on his face. It hadn't taken long for Peter to bring them both up to speed on the situation, which answered a lot of the questions they both had he wouldn't answer over the phone. Neither one of them knew Peter and Charlotte weren't together anymore, much less separated at the time Peter took that ill-fated phone call from Jasper, and if they didn't know, clearly, Peter didn't want anyone else to either. They could understand why, too. The best protection he could offer his new mate for as few others to know about her as possible.

Peter had spent his life making enemies, and any one of them could now bring him to his knees.

Garrett, however, was having a difficult time with the fact Carlisle seemed to be involved in this. He had known the man for nearly two hundred years, and he truly didn't think he had something like this in him. A frown marring his features, he sighed. "And you're positive Carlisle is a willing participant in this debatical?" When all Peter did was smoothly slide a brow up hide in his bangs, Garrett sighed again. "I always thought him smarter than this."

Peter snorted hard into his beer bottle. "We talkin' 'bout the same man? The guy that lets a member a his coven repeatedly expose himself ta humans, also allows the rest a his followers do it, then leaves that human _alive_ when they take off to be dealt with by someone else? Yeah, Garrett, he a damn rocket scientist."

Nose wrinkling, Garrett grunted. "When put like that."

Randall, who was still looking at the hole through both of Peter's wrists, didn't say anything for a long moment, and when he did, his voice was thoughtful. "Are you sure ten is enough? You've got the seven of them, one of which being your sire, _and_ the Italian guard breathing down your neck, and that's all you want? Seriously? Are you sure?"

Randall was one of only three vampires Peter wouldn't backhand into a different century for doing what was amounting to questioning him. He didn't turn the man, but he was the one that raised him after finding him abandoned two weeks after he woke up, near feral from hunger and all turned the fuck around in the blinding snows of Siberia. Being gifted like he is, Randall was certainly not the easiest newborn to deal with, but once Peter got him fed and up to par, they'd been pretty good buddies for the last seventy years.

In response to the questions, Peter just grinned. "I didn't raise ya be afraid a them little bastards. I raised ya betta than that, Randy. 'Sides, I ain't waitin for them ta bring the fight ta me. I'm takin' it ta them so they don't really matta. By the time it time ta deal with the Italians, them ten gonna multiply like fuckin' rabbits. I need them ten you got on standby for sumthin' else. I got Char on the tracker's ass, and she'll let me know when I gotta worry 'bout him. For now, my only focus is the Cullens, and I don't need a army for them."

Even still, Randall bit into the corner of his lip. "Maybe not, but Christ, Peter. I just..." Trailing off, his eyes shifted back to the holes in his surrogate sire's wrists, unable to fully stop the cringe. When he did speak again, it was a different line of questioning. "So, what is it you want from us?"

A spark ignited in the back of Peter's dark eyes, his grin growing wide enough to show off his teeth. "You, Randy, are gonna help me with my lady. I gotta actually see what she doin' if I'm gonna fix it." He slid his eyes to Garrett once Randall gave him a less than enthusiastic nod. "All I need from you is ta talk to a old friend. I know they ain't tagether, but don't know where they is. Find 'em." That spark burned a little brighter, "Jasper specifically."

"Edward goes first."

All three sets of eyes turned to the newborn that was standing with her arms crossed in the sliding glass doorway, her red eyes all but glowing from the bagged blood Peter set out on the counter to warm up before he went outside. Her face was set in stone, almost daring one of the three to argue with her.

Peter, however, just gave her an indulgent look as he smiled at her. "As my Lady wishes." Then, he returned his sights to Garrett, a brow raised.

Garrett, an irritated look on his features, looked back and forth between Peter and Bella before he growled in his chest. "I hate you both." He didn't really, but damn it, did he actually despise the whiny little shit. Edward was from a time that men were put on a pedestal, and he never really stepped down from it, making him about as fun to deal with as Aro. When he looked back at Bella, who had her own brow high at him telling her he didn't like her, he clicked his tongue. "Don't get me wrong, many great things came from the Victorian Era, but Edward Mason is not one of them. He's an insufferable little bastard with a superiority complex he has no right to have. That said, the problem with him is the same as with every gifted vampire, and that, of course, is his gift. I get within 50 feet of him, he will not only know you two are alive, but exactly where to find you."

A frown tugging at the corner of her lips, Bella moved her eyes to Peter, tightening her fingers around her arms to keep them to herself. He was still shirtless, and the sun was partly out, making his skin sparkle everywhere there wasn't a mark, the scars he carried standing out all the more. Throat going dry at the sight, she gulped without noise, averting her eyes to a point over his shoulder instead.

Peter's lips parted into a devilish looking smirk, knowing where his mate's head was at, but chose to not call her on it at the moment. Instead, he looked back at Garrett. "So, call 'em. Don't rightly care how ya get the information, just that ya get it."

Before Garrett could respond, Peter's phone rang inside, prompting him to look at Bella, who vanished inside to retrieve the thing. No one said anything as they listened to the newborn's side of the conversation.

"Hey, Char... uh, he's outside... talking to these two dudes that are here... the fuck if I know. He hasn't felt the need for introductions... I'm sorry; what?... one more time... That's... okay, that's not what I was going to say, but it works just as well... yeah... no, I'll tell him... see ya then."

The three males on the back porch looked at each other, waiting for Bella to reemerge, and when she did, she was pale, even for a vampire.

Holding Peter's phone in her hand, Bella scratched her brow before looking at Peter. "We have ten hours."

Peter, however, didn't react at all. Just cocked his head to the side. "Alice." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, so he didn't really need Bella to nod in confirmation. He knew when he did it involving others was a risk and that once he did so it would only be a matter of time before someone set off one of her visions. The fact it had taken as long as it did was more shocking than finding out it happened at all if he were honest, and he was ready for it. Dropping his feet from the railing, he stood, killed his beer, and tossed the empty bottle into the garbage. "She say anythin' else?"

Crossing her arms, Bella nodded again. "They don't know I'm alive."

Eyes crinkling in the corners, the implication of that statement wasn't lost on Peter the way it was on his guests. "She can't see you."

Bella took that statement as a question, and responded as such. "I don't know. All Charlotte said was..."

Peter cut her off, his mind already deciding what he was going to do with that delicious piece of information. "That wasn't a question, Baby Doll." Then, he crossed his arms. "She give ya a number?"

Rubbing her arm, Bella nodded once again, adding a sigh because she was slightly terrified. "Eleven."

Peter, on the other hand, had never felt so insulted in his life, which was saying something considering where he came from. That's it? Eleven? He had to wonder for a moment if he looked as offended as he felt, but shutted it aside as a growl slipped past his lips. "Pussies."

There were two snorts and a gasp, the latter coming from the newborn, who protested his stance rather loudly. "The fuck, Peter? That's, at best, three to one odds."

"No, it ain't." Stepping around the table, Peter approached his mate, reaching out and grabbing her by the forearm and pulling her the rest of the way outside. Plucking his phone from her fingers and setting on the table so it remained safe from the coming tantrum, he turned his body, pulled her back to his chest, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and setting his chin on the top of his head. "Baby Doll, I wantcha ta meet Randall. He a good buddy a mine, and he gonna take real good care a ya while you gone." Bella had already wrenched herself free of Peter's arms as he turned his attention to Randall, who was grinning back at him. "Ain'tcha Randy?"

Randall nodded once. "Yes, Sir."

Bella, on the other hand, was shaking her head so hard she would have snapped her neck if she were human. Locking her glaring eyes on Peter's unsurprised and decided ones, she hissed at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Bending at the waist with his arms crossed, Peter's eyes dared her to argue. "Ya are, know why?" He watched her press her lips together and shake her head, so he stood back up and explained the situation. "Ten hours ain't enough time ta teach ya ta wipe your own ass much less teach ya ta win 'gainst these kind a vampires. We been fuckin' round, and outta all that time, ya only got lucky twice. That's it... twice. It wasn't even intentional that ya did it. It was me not payin' attention, and they gonna be payin' attention."

Softening only slightly, he took the two steps she put between them, grabbed her by the hips, and pulled her back to him. Dipping his head, he set his forehead against Bella's, lowering his voice, though it wasn't any less 'in charge' than it was a moment ago. "I told ya before, the first time I tried to ta teach ya how ta fight, I'll die tryin'a protect ya. That a fact. I'ma be so focused on you, cause ya can't fight right, I _will_ make a mistake, and that ain't sumthin' I'ma get away with." Letting out a sigh, his voice finally softened, making even Bella have to strain to hear him. "They don't know you alive, Baby Doll, and the best protection I can give ya is them not findin' out ya are."

Biting her bottom so hard she actually felt it crack under the force, Bella swallowed hard. "Caius knows, remember? What's going to stop him from telling anyone else?"

Humming in the back of his throat, Peter leaned into his mate, grabbing her cracked lip with his own, pulling it into his mouth and running his tongue along the divot she made, grinning at the moan that caressed his ears when he released her lip. "Knowledge is power, Little Lady. He gonna say somethin', but it ain't gonna be till he can get the most outta it. There ain't shit he can gain by openin' his mouth right now, 'cept maybe a knock inta sometime next century for not sayin' so sooner. For now though, they only lookin' for me, which is fine. They gonna find me, too, but it gonna be on my terms, not theirs."

There was a nearly strangled sounding whine on the air as Bella shook her head. "Peter..."

Cutting her off, all but completely forgetting they weren't alone, Peter actually whimpered. "Please."

Feeling her eyes start to itch slightly, Bella bit back what she was going to say, pressing her lips together to trap the words as she looked over her shoulder at the gay Peter introduced as Randall. He was looking right back at her, his arms crossed as he leaned against the railing like he didn't have a care in the damn world, while hers was all but falling down around her. She didn't know if she could do what was being asked of her. She didn't know if she could really leave, knowing that before the sun set Peter was going to be facing off against the one group of vampires that held the life of everyone else in their hands. She didn't know if she could handle knowing he was going to be doing it alone.

But she did know she couldn't lose him.

She had always been something of a liability, even now after she was turned, when she was the strongest she would ever be, she still wasn't strong enough, was still that same liability.

Turning back to face Peter, she still didn't look up at him, her eyes darting back and forth as her mind supplied her everything that could wrong, the many reasons this would be the last time she saw him. When she did finally look up at him, it was through her lashes, and her indecision was still bright in her crimson eyes.

Peter, however, had long since been decided, and he was willing to do whatever he had to to ensure his mate wasn't anywhere near where his sire was going to be. Releasing her hips and cupping her face instead, he refused to allow her to look away. "I'll come find you, then, I can start ta make, all this up to you. You just have ta trust me."

Bella's voice was just as soft as his was. "It's not you I don't trust. It's literally everyone else."

He wouldn't take that from her. She was still a baby by any standard, and babies didn't trust anyone... ever. Even still, he clicked his tongue. "Darlin', half the damn vampire race out to kill you. The smartest thing you can do is trust no one. But, trust me when I tell ya this gotta happen. So long as Jasper alive you in more danger than you can possibly know. I'll make ya a deal, you just let me deal with him, then I'll come getcha, and we'll do the rest a this tagether. Just let me deal with him."

When he saw her open her mouth, he spoke again before she could. "This shit been a long time comin', Baby Doll. That sumbitch got a lot ta answer for, and ain't hardly nothin' of it ta do with you. For the last centurty plus that mother fucker been makin' my life as difficult as fuckin' possible, and I ain't a fan a that. This shit 'bout as personal as it gets, but for all a it, he a newborn killer, and you a newborn. I don't wantcha no where near 'im. I can't have ya no where near 'im. Do this one thing for me, and I'll do whatever the fuck you want; no questions asked."

Once again drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, Bella sighed slightly before flicking her eyes back to his. "The only thing I want is for you to not die."

With a chuckle in his throat, Peter grinned wide. "I can do that, but only if you ain't no where near where he gonna be."

 ***X***

One thing that always amazed the Southern Captain was, no matter how much time passes, no matter how much the vampire race thought they had evolved to be smarter than humans, they...

Weren't.

It didn't even take any real effort to get one to do what you wanted it to, in much the same way as vampires controlled humanity. It was all about scent and desire, and when you have the scent that someone desires, even someone who could once have been argued the smartest vampire alive, becomes a fucking moron.

Contrary to what others thought, Peter did actually have a scent. It was subtle, but it was there if you knew what to look for. Unlike the Volturi tracker, who's hunting gift allowed his scent to shift according to his surroundings, Peter smelled like the ground itself; dirt, grass, flowers, things of that nature, but, mostly dirt; a scent that was literally always in the air, which made his scent extremely difficult to find. However, when it comes to Sire and Childe, having absolutely no discernible scent didn't matter. A sire knew what their children smelled like, and could always find it.

It's how Peter was able to draw Jasper out, and to where he wanted him.

Lounged in a tree, a cigarette between his lips, he didn't look away from the sky as he started talking, knowing the asshole would hear him at this point.

"The year was 1895, in a little town outside Austin ain't no one eva heard of. Didn't have a name then, don't exist now. Fields a corn and beans far as the eye could see. Good, God fearin' people that just wanted ta be left the hell alone ta raise they babies. This little piece a paradise was dirt ass poor by any standard, but the people that lived there had all they needed in they unshakable faith. Few years back, there was a boy that lived there, not quite right in the head, but he had three things that made him happy. He had that unshakable faith, his mama, and a horse named Butter. That boy had this... nasty little habit a wonderin' off, but he _always_ came home."

Dropping from the tree he had been sitting in, dropping his cigarette butt and crushing the cherry under the toe of his boot, Peter locked his eyes on his Sire's. "Stop me if ya heard this story before." Arms crossing he then stalked his way across the field he lured his sire to. "Three years afta that boy and his horse went for a ride, but only that boy came back, his beloved steed no where ta be seen. That boy's first stop was his mama's, then his would-be lady's, then the doctor's, then the little corner post where tradin' was done. By the time he done visited everyone he knew, God wasn't in those fields no more."

He watched as something sparked in the eyes of the one that made him, Jasper grinning like a child at the memory. "A hundred and nine years, and you still blame me for that?"

Peter clicked his tongue, a grin of his own coming to his lip. Uncrossing his arms, he tapped the tip of his finger against the shell of his ear. "I can still hear it, ya know? The cackle that outlasted my mama's screams, that followed me through my little hometown as I destroyed everythin' in my path. I can still smell the putrid odor a burnin' flesh, taste my mama's blood." Running the tip of his tongue along his top lip, Peter pointed at his sire. "You took me there, knowin' I was gonna kill everyone that eva meant a damn thing ta me, so yeah, Major, I still blame ya for that."

There was no remorse in Jasper's stance as he stood staring at his only living childe. There was nothing but amusement in his eyes as he continued to smile. "You were like this... little colt. A hard spirited pain in my ass that just needed... broke; something I am exceptionally good at."

Lips puckering, Peter chuckled anything but a nice sound. "No argument there. Creatin' monsters just about the only thing you is good at." Then his tsked. "Ain't so good at controllin' them though, are ya?"

Jasper's head tilted slightly to the side, his face going blank. "Aren't I? See, what you never learned was, when it comes to putting them in their place, the trick is..." pulling something out of the pocket of his pants, Jasper threw the item he pulled out to Peter, a smile on his face. "Never let them know what you're doing until it's too late to stop you."

Catching what was thrown to him, Peter didn't need to open his hand. He knew what it was. How could he not? He was the one that bought it.

Tightening his grip around the necklace Charlotte had worn for over eighty years, Peter went completely blank. There wasn't an ounce of emotion on his face or in his eyes. Even his emotional climate ceased to exist as he felt the weight of Charlotte's death settle on his shoulders. He wasn't angry. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't... anything. He cared; holy shit did he care, but he was numb to it.

Eighty six years together, and this is how he lost her; to their psychotic sire. Mated or not, that little blonde still held a piece of his heart, and he was going to miss the fuck out of her.

Jasper, that same wild look on his face, chuckled. "I never thought she would go out like that, begging for me not to do it, whimpering and whining about how could I and why." A grin appeared on his lips as he shook his head. "I thought I raised her better that than, but..." then, he shrugged, "oh well." He stood watching Peter, knowing just how black his eyes could get when he lost his senses, but was brought up short when they remained the deep red they had been since he dropped from the tree. When Peter started to chuckle, Jasper's eyes narrowed.

A bemused smile tugged at one corner of Peter's lips, his arms crossing over his chest, Charlotte's necklace dangling from his fingers. There was no part of him that believed Charlotte begged for her life, he knew her better than that. She fought to her dying moment, he knew that, and nothing Jasper said would get him to think otherwise. There was also nothing that would get him to believe it was a fair fight, something this asshole didn't know how to have. He was positive Jasper took away her ability to fight, using his gift to either fire her up to the point she couldn't or suppressing her will to live. It was one or the other, it always was, and by the time he was done with his sire, Jasper would be the one begging for the sweet release of death.

There was pure amusement in Peters's voice, though he was still a blank slate as far as anything else. "Ya know what's so Goddamn funny? You was able to take out Char, a vampire born from ya, raised by ya, trained to be a killer, but ya failed ta kill one... little... human. What happened there, Major? Ain't got the balls ta face off with a coven no more? Ain't got the stomach ta take on more than one at a time? Or... is it thatcha can't? Is it thatcha scared? That why you look for the one on they own, so ya don't outcha self as a pussy who's balls receded? That why they was able ta stop ya from feedin?" Then, he smirked. "By the way, that girl's fuckin' delicious; sweetest little thin' I _ever_ tasted."

The double meaning was lost on Jasper as he stared down his greatest creation, his own ire growing at the little bastard's refusal to back down.

Peter, however, kept pushing, wanting Jasper to lose what little he had left of his mind. "How many times you bitch out now? Twelve? Fifteen? Hard ta keep track a all the humans ya fail ta kill these days. There were a time just the sound a a beatin' heart was reason 'nuff ta kill. Now? Now ya call me 'cause you ain't got the stones no more. Ya call the fuckin' Italians 'cause I told ya I wasn't gonna do it no more. Animal diet, livin' 'round humans, leavin' 'em breathin'... Don't know when the fuck it happened, Major, but you just Carlisle's little bitch now, ain'tcha?"

Peter felt the growl that ripped from his sire in the marrow of his bones, but he was ready for it. Something Jasper didn't realize was his gift was completely ineffective because Peter didn't run off his emotions; he ran off instinct, and there was no place for emotions when it came to the basics.

Neatly dodging the head on attack, Peter twirled around, dropping into a crouch after he saw to the safety of Charlotte's necklace. A wide grin still settled on his lips as he squared off with Jasper. There was several reasons he was going to enjoy this, not the least of which being Charlotte's death. There was a hundred and twelve years of pure hate for the man before him, and as Peter's feet left the ground as he lunged at the same time as Jasper, both of them knew only one of them was going to walk away.

This was to the death, but only one of them actually had a reason to live.


	24. Chapter 24

"For fuck's sake, Kid. You're not even trying, are you?"

Kicking her legs up and lunging to her feet, Bella brushed her ass off and shook her head. "I wasn't very good at this with Peter, either."

Reaching across his chest, Randall regarded the newborn in front of him as he scratched his jaw. It hadn't taken him very long to figure out why Peter had called him to help teach this girl how to fight. She was never going to learn this way, the way he had been taught by just being attacked and attacked until something clicked. She clearly needed step by step guidance, and that's not something that can really be done one on one. Since it was just him with her, he had to figure something out, because he was running out of time if he was going to teach this girl to defend herself.

It hadn't taken long after Bella agreed to Peter's terms for the vampires to scatter, Peter heading due east, Garrett going Northwest, and Randall taking Bella Southeast, but that was still hours ago, and the ten hours time frame was quickly coming to an end. He didn't know if this tracker would be able to figure out which elder had the newborn, but he did know as soon as he showed up at that house, he would know where to find all three, and process of elimination wasn't all that hard when you had over a hundred underlings waiting for orders.

After another moment of contemplation, he nodded to himself and made his way across the sand. Taking up a position next to her, he grinned down at her standoffish face. "Okay, let's try this. Watch me, then do what I do."

There was a dubious look on Bella's face, but she nodded. This was about the only thing no one had tried, so what could it hurt, right? So, crossing her arms, she did as she was told, paying as close attention as she could, but her focus was divided, which certainly didn't lend itself to her being able to give current shit the attention it certainly deserved.

Her stomach was in her throat with worry about Peter and if he was alright. When he stood outside the window of his truck that Randall was driving, he told her he would call her, but every minute that passed without Randall's phone ringing made her want to crawl out of her skin just a little bit more. She didn't know where he was going, or when she would see him again, or even if she would. She didn't know if that was going to be their last kiss, if that was going to be her last memory of him.

She tried to make him promise he would come back, but he didn't do it. He just winked at her before looking at Randall, tilting his to the side to tell him it was time to go. She was positive he wouldn't do it because he didn't want to make a promise he didn't know if he could keep, but damn it, that would have been a lie she could have lived with. It wasn't like she could have done something to him if he didn't.

Shocked out of her thoughts when she was hit in the face with something wet and, surprisingly cold, Bella jolted with a squeal. Running both her hands down her face, she looked at what was gathered in her hands, blinking at the sight. Her brows drawing down, her lip curled. "Snow?"

Lifting her head, her jaw dropped when her eyes fell on her protector, who just looked back at her with a cocked brow as he tossed another snowball into the air. His voice, however, was much less playful than his actions. "Do I have your attention now?"

When the newborn just blinked at him, Randall dropped the snowball in his hand, the frozen water no match for the heat of the ground. "Look, Bella, I know you're worried about Peter, but I swear to you, he is the last vampire on this planet you need to worry about. And, honestly, he's the last one you should be worried about. You need to be worried about the ones trying to kill you, not the ones trying to protect you. He sent you with me so you survive, but you're not going to if you don't get out of your head and get your head in the game."

Unable to stop herself, Bella whimpered. "I can't help it."

Randall didn't mince his words when he crossed his arms. "You _have_ to. Munchkin, what's going to happen between Peter and his sire is going to happen, and no amount of worrying is going to sway the outcome. In our world, Peter and Jasper are Titans, Gods among us. As hard as this is to hear, one of them is going to die today, and it's literally a flip of a coin on who it's going to be. Neither one is going to let the other walk away, but here's the thing; what happens if the one that walks away is Peter, and you aren't alive to greet him? Do you think he's just going to roll over and that be that? If you do, Munchkin, you have no idea who you're mated to. I'm here to tell you, if you die, he will burn this world, and everything in it, to the ground."

That certainly didn't help, at all. All it did was make Bella even more worried than she was. Wrapping her arms around herself, she dropped her eyes, shaking her head. "I can feel him, you know; feel what he feels."

Letting out a sigh through his nose, Randall made his way back to the newborn that was away from her mate and sire for the first time. Setting his hands on her shoulders, he smiled when she flicked her eyes to his. "Then focus on that. As long as you can feel him, you know he's fine." Though she did look away from him, she did nod as she took a step out of his hold. "Fantastic. Now... let's have some fun."

The snort came out without Bella's permission. "You sound just like him. Ya know, without the accent."

Laughing as he retook a fighting stance, Randall smirked at her. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Less than three hours later, Randall not only had Bella able to defend herself against an attacker, but also able to switch her tactics from defense to offense, and flawlessly. It really was all about figuring out what worked for the newborn and building from there. Regardless of sirehood, not everyone woke up with the ability to fight, but all vampires had the ability to learn the art. In Bella's case, she was more of a visual learner, so switching things up so she could see what she needed to do first then show her how to implement it made things go much smoother.

One thing Randall could say for certain was she got Peter's temper, which honestly, explained why the two had such a hard start. Peter had told he and Garrett some of what happened when she first woke up. Not a lot, but enough to know their personalities clashed something awful because neither one possessed the ability to know when to back down any longer. When it came to Peter, he was older and a male, which didn't allow him to submit to a female. In Bella's case, on a basic level, she knew her sire wouldn't actually hurt her while she was so young, regardless of whether or not he would put her ass in her place when needed, and by force if necessary.

When you add in a desire for a mating and the fact that Peter and he demon were not, at the time, the same person, shit got seriously out of hand. Reason for that being, females chose their male based on their more primitive side, because that was the part of the male that took care of them. It explained why it always seemed like Bella got along better with who the vampire world knew as Captain Whitlock, and not so much with Peter, because they were, essentially, two different vampires. While Peter absolutely possessed the ability to fuck shit up on his own, the Captain was the definition of a soulless, blood thirsty monster, and for reason that defied all logic, that was what this particular vampiress was attracted to.

Whether he was right or wrong in his assessment of the situation, Randall did know one thing that backed it up; Charlotte. For as long as she and Peter were together, and for everything they were with the other, Mates was clearly never one them. That was a lifelong commitment, and while Peter's demon might have liked the little blonde, he didn't see eternity with her; even if Peter at one time did.

God, that was one fucked up vampire.

When he and Bella left Peter's place in Colorado, he had taken Peter's truck with them, but abandoned it on the side of the side of the highway, under Peter's request. The orders weren't surprising, honestly, not with the fact the tags were to the house that was about to get ransacked by Volturi Guards. But really, Randall just knew Peter went through pickups like kids go through Hotwheels.

Having run out of things to teach her, Randall had taken Bella back to the little cottage thing he had been offered to use while they were in the area, giving her time and space to calm down after the rather intensive training he put her through. He had gotten her as prepared as he was capable of making her in such a short amount of time, and now all that he could really do was hope it was enough. Their time was up, and they weren't but a couple of hundred miles from where they left, making them within a two hour run.

However, he was very good when it came to strategies, and he picked where he took Bella for a _very_ good reason. While he could have easily taken Bella to Peter's place that was about fifty miles north of where they were, it would have left them on their own and vulnerable to whatever was coming their way. Now, they were only five miles from the border of Jasper's sire's territory, so if whoever came after them overshot their location by even a little, whoever it was would have a very, very bad day. Would Peter have his ass for that decision? Probably, but at the same time, it was about as perfect of a place as someone running from the fucking Volturi could get. No one, not even them, wanted to face off with Maria, and as long as he and Bella stayed on their side of the line, they didn't have anything to worry about. He could hear them, Maria's scouts that were waiting for them to fuck up. They wouldn't cross their border without a reason, though, and as long as the newborn stayed inside, they wouldn't have one.

Randall had a pretty decent relationship with the vampire that owned the land they were on, who Maria did not share the same thing with. His name was Patrick, and he was actually pretty nice guy, ya know, if you overlooked a few things about him, like the fact he was a Southern General. He could be a prick, but when he owed a debt, he always paid it. Because of that, when Randall called and asked for a place to take a newborn, it was granted, but when he answered the question as to why, he was told in no uncertain terms that unless he or his army was directly attacked, he would offer no physical aid; a statement that was retracted the moment he found out who the newborn belonged to.

So, to one side, he had Maria. To every other side, he had Patrick. He taught the girl to fight. At this point, Randall figured he had done everything he could to make Peter's mate as safe and protected as possible. It was now a waiting game, and waiting was the one thing he had never been good at.

Bella, however, was about as high strung as she could be without literally tearing herself apart. Randall had told her to focus on what she could feel of Peter, but she couldn't feel anything anymore. She was as numb as he apparently was, and it didn't do anything to keep her calmed down enough to be ready for whatever might happen in the quickly approaching future. She was doing her best to convince herself it was because of Jasper, and what she was feeling was because of him manipulating Peter's emotions and not allow herself to consider the alternative; that she didn't feel Peter anymore because he was dead.

The only thing that stopped her from taking off when it happened was the fact she didn't know where she was, only that she was in a very volatile area, and if she made a singular wrong footfall, she would probably die.

It was funny to her, how alone and empty she felt. She thought it was bad when she was abandoned by the Cullens, that she would never feel whole again without them. She never thought, even for a moment, it could get worse than those couple of months following their leaving. To find out how incredibly wrong she was, to experience how much more lonely and empty life could become, she almost found herself praying to go back to a time when everything she thought was bad was barely more than a mild inconvenience.

As horrible as it was, for as monstrous as she knew it to be, what she actually found herself doing was sacrificing whatever humanity she might have had left, repeating in her mind over and over who all she would trade for Peter's life if they were still alive to do so.

She was stopped, but only barely, from offering her own father to the Devil himself by the shrill ringing of Randall's phone cutting the thick silence.

Whirling around, her eyes darted all over the place, landing on the device that was on the table in the breakfast nook. Diving for it, Bella found herself looking up from the ground, covered in the splinters she turned the table into, and at the amused face of Randall, who was looking down at her with a cheeky grin.

Not taking his eyes off the pouting baby at his feet, Randall shook his head with a chuckle in his throat. "You do know you would have broken it, right? Settle down, Munchkin." Flipping it open with his thumb, he didn't look at who was calling as he set his phone to his ear. "Yeah."

Really getting tired of being picked on for her height, Bella hissed at him when he called her Munchkin again. That shit was what you called _actual_ children; not adults with the attention span of one. Shoving the largest piece of wood off of her, Bella huffed and crossed her arms, calling her babysitter an asshole, but her brows drew when his did.

Randall wasn't on the phone long before he hung up, which told Bella at least who it wasn't. Peter would have wanted to talk to her, so knowing it wasn't him, paired with the look on Randy's face, she wasn't sure she wanted to know who it actually was.

Lowering his arm, Randall used his index finger to close his phone again. Slipping it into his pocket, he regarded the newborn, who didn't look like she wanted him to tell her what that call was about anymore than he wanted to tell her what it was about. He never dealt with the Volturi before, never gotten in the kind of trouble that was needed to put yourself on their radar. However, that said, the number he was just told had crossed the border into Patrick's territory seemed a bit excessive for just two vampires, even with one of the two being a fucking Whitlock.

What the hell did they think a passively gifted, not even a full month old newborn was going to be able to do? She didn't have an active gift that could be used against someone. It was a personal shield that protected her from the gifts of others. They had to know her sire wasn't with her, which meant she was going to be pretty easy to pick off, so a literal army seemed wholly unnecessary.

As a smile pulled at Randall's lips, he did the only thing he could do...

He kept his mouth shut.

Running his fingers through his hair, he grinned at Bella before licking his lips. "Are you hungry?"

Bella watched as Randall turned around and headed toward the door, scrambling to her feet when it was clear he wasn't going to wait for her. Darting after him, she cut off his path, holding her arms out to the side, looking up and him and locking their eyes. "What's going on?"

Shaking his head, the word _'nope'_ flashing through his mind, Randall never lost the smile on his face. "It's been awhile since you ate, and Patrick has something for you to eat." He didn't really, at least not without asking first, but all Randy was trying to do was get her into the protection of more than just him, and he didn't have a lot of time to do it. If he had to use the promise of blood against a newborn, than so fucking be it.

Bella, however, wasn't falling for it. Crossing her arms, she glared with narrowed, black eyes that told how hungry she actually was. "Randall, you're lying."

Once again, he didn't mince words with her. "You're Goddamn right I am. You don't need to know what that was about. You'll find out soon enough. Right now, all you need to know is it's time to go."

Before Bella was able to say anything else, there was a chorus of snarls, that had her whirling around to the window that was on the other side of the house. Eyes wide, she took a step back and closer to Randall, who was looking exactly where she was.

Grabbing Bella by the arm, Randall whipped her around and shoved her toward the door. "Bella, run."

Before she was able to move an inch, the air around her felt like it dropped fifty degrees, her hard, terrified breaths misting as they left her lips. Looking over her shoulder, she gasped at the sight of Randall's black eyes. She had learned he had a gift when she was hit with that snowball, but that was the only time he used it, and she hadn't brought it up since she was so worried about Peter. Now, however, there was no stopping the 'what the fuck' that slipped past her lips at the fact his hands were encased in ice.

Randall, however, wasn't in the mood to play twenty questions. Instead, he gave her another shove to get her moving, and he stayed right on her heels as she finally took off. He wasn't sure if she was running from him or not, but that didn't really matter. What mattered was getting her to the waiting group of yearlings tasked with protecting her scrawny little ass. It was a run, and there was a lot bodies after them, but even though he didn't have experience with these particular bodies didn't at all mean he didn't have any at all with a pissed off hoards or two.

Keeping himself between Bella and the ones after them, Randall snarled as his arm swung out, sending shards of ice at the wall of black. He was too far away for it to really be effective, but closer, those shards were capable of severing body parts. What it did, however, was slow them down, and that's really all he was going for right at the moment.

When Bella saw a group of vampires in front of them, she tried to put on the breaks, only to find a hand in the middle of her back, keeping her feet moving, Randall's words of 'don't you fucking dare' breaking the whistling in her ears from the speed in which she was running. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she actually whimpered at what she saw.

Rolling his eyes, Randall pushed her harder. "Word of advice, Munchkin. When running for your life... never look back."

 ***X***

There is a moment in life when you have this feeling that everything was going to fall into place, that everything you've been through means something and it wasn't just some fucked up joke for the amusement of others. There was a moment where everything just made sense.

This was not that moment for Peter.

As he laid on the ground, staring up at the sky, panting for breath he couldn't catch and felt as though he would die without, nothing made sense; nothing fell into place.

His body pulsed with rippling flames, the stump where his arm was severed above the elbow engulfed in an inferno that rivaled the change itself. His side was gouged open, exposing long since rotted organs. He could feel the stickiness of his venom attempting to heal what could turn into a fatal injury if someone dropped a match in the puddle he was laying in.

All of that, however, was lost on him as he choked on his tongue and gagged on every intake of air as flashes of the last hour danced before his eyes, haunting in their morbid glory.

He never thought facing off with his sire would be easy. He never thought he would walk away from a fight with Jasper unscathed. There was even a part of him that didn't think he would have succeeded where literally everyone else failed. He would never tell Bella, or anyone for that matter, that he didn't think it was going to win at all.

No one was meant to kill the Devil.

Closing his eyes, Peter bared his teeth at the sight of wild black eyes, growling at the taunting words of what his sire was going to do to Isabella when he finally found her.

Never, not in any fight he had ever been in, had he felt such a searing and all encompassing rage before. Jasper had him on his back, his foot in his throat, moments from ending what would have been a pretty decent life, but Jasper never did know when to shut up when he thought he had shit won. He never did know how to just finish what he started without allowing his opponent to get a second wind.

He never did know when to leave well enough alone and just go for the fucking kill.

Whether or not Jasper's balls did actually recede while he was fucking the midget became completely irrelevant when, in a moment of pure fucking admitted desperation, Peter used the arm he hadn't yet lost, reached up between Jasper's legs, grabbed his junk through his jeans, and ripped it the fuck off.

 _Looking Jasper dead in the eye as he kicked himself to his feet, Peter crushed the appendage in his hand, a snarl in his voice. "Let's see you fuck my girl now."_

There was a time when he would have considered something like that lower than the lowest low, but when it came to Bella, there was no such thing, and if grabbing another man's cock was necessary, well... it was fucking necessary.

That had been the turning point, the moment when Peter knew he had that shit won, but he was nothing if not his sire's childe, so instead of just finishing the damn fight, he decided to instead make his sire suffer for everything he had ever done.

While Jasper was bent in half after having his dick unceremoniously removed, Peter grabbed the hair on the back his head and drove his knee into Jasper's mouth, feeling the snapping and crumbling of his teeth, ensuring Jasper would never feed properly again in retribution for making Peter feed from his mama.

He put his fist through Jasper's chest, ripping out his useless, rotten heart because that's how the son of a bitch killed Butter.

He kicked him as hard as he could in the hole that was now between Jasper's legs just because he thought it would be funny.

How his sire could still surprise him, Peter had no idea, but he was shocked as fuck when Jasper dove at him, tackling him to his back, and proceeded to claw the shit out of him. That was when Peter lost his arm and was basically broken open below his ribs. It was what it was; the act of a desperate man.

What Peter had that Jasper didn't, however, was a habit that involved carrying a lighter.

It was a struggle, but at that point, Jasper wasn't nearly the threat he wanted to be. With only one arm, though, it was no easy to not have his face eaten off his skull while he got his lighter out of his pocket.

Teeth bared at the one that made him, he struck the top of the Zippo against his thigh, said something to effect of 'Say hi ta Charlotte for me', stuffed the lit fuse into Jasper's open mouth, got a foot between them, and kicked his sire ten feet away where he landed flat on his back.

Now, the screams as Jasper burned for everything he had ever done had gone quiet, leaving Peter to listen to the calm crackling of the fire that was beginning to die out.

Jaw clintched and teeth grinding, Peter picked his head up, looking down his body at the sight he made before just dropping his back down with a splash in the puddle he still didn't have the ability to roll himself out of. There was, though, a hint of humor in his voice, a pained smirk on his lips. "Good thing my Baby Doll likes scars."

He had lost track of time as he laid on the ground, his mind fuzzy and vision distorted. For all he knew, it could have been days before he rolled to his side, dragging his body across the grass to where his arm laid, waiting for him to collect it and put it back in place. For the fact he didn't need it, sitting up to do just that stole his breath and left him light headed once again. Sitting there as he listened to his hiss of his arm refusing to his body, a growl slipped past his lips at the shocking amount of pain that came with it. He had lost body parts before, but he honestly didn't remember it being so fucking agonizing to reattach something.

Even still, once the sizzling stopped, and after a couple of test bends of his elbow to make sure it worked like it should, he was on his feet and out of the clearing. He needed to feed, and he didn't care who it was that had to die. He might have became a somewhat picky eater over the years, but in this case, a human was a human, and the group of innocent campers that were in the wrong place at the wrong time were as good as any other.

Not only did he not care who it was that fell to his teeth, he didn't give a singular rat's ass about being covert in his movements either. Following the rules at this point was pretty damn pointless since he was already marked for death on sight, so he just ran his half dressed, sparkling ass through the plains of the Midwest in broad daylight. He knew where he was going, the bond he shared with his mate guiding his feet to a war waging between two southern factions and whoever the Italians were able to recruit.

His arrival was marked by little more than a gasp from his old general, but it was lost on him as he tore his way through the bodies that separated him from his Lady. He was about as feral as a century old vampire could get, and it was made worse when he finally laid eyes on Bella.

Even from the distance he still was, he could see new scars marring her flesh through her own torn clothing as she knelt on the ground, her arm around her middle as she hid behind the legs of one pissed off Randall and a vampire Peter had never seen before that would very likely die if he didn't back the hell up.

Taking three steps backwards, Peter got a running start before he bent his knees and launched himself over the sea of bodies that stood between him and his mate. Twisting his still healing body, Peter landed in a crouch in front of his mate. Popping back up, Peter's hand wrapped around Randall's throat before the irate Southern Captain hoisted the man off the ground so he was eye level. His voice was nearly unrecognizable as he spoke. "Remind me to kill you."

Then, just like that didn't happen, a snarl ripped from his throat as he then lunged back into the fight, something of a gruntal purr sounding in his chest when he heard his name in his mate's voice caress his ears.

There is a moment in life when you have this feeling that everything was going to fall into place, that everything you've been through means something and it wasn't just some fucked up joke for the amusement of others. There was a moment where everything just made sense.

This was that moment for Peter.


End file.
